Evangelion: Rise of Outer Heaven
by Devil Boss
Summary: Evangelion/Metal Gear crossover. When a war between NERV and Big Boss explodes, Solid Snake goes to Japan to help the main Eva cast fight this new foe. Chapter 15 up: Philanthropy makes a move, and many things from the past are revealed.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own any of the characters from the Evangelion and Metal Gear Solid universes; they belong to Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, GAINAX Studios, Hideo Kojima, Shoji Shinkawa, Kojima Productions and Konami Studios.

**Author Notes:**

This is the revised version of my first fic, a crossover between Metal Gear and Evangelion. It deals with the idea of what I think would happen if both casts were to meet. The original started in Episode 23 of the series; this one starts in Episode 9.

I decided to redo my original work due to several mistakes it had; to put it simply, putting this fic outside of the Evangelion timeline is a mistake, and the original would do just that. I left it in chapter 3, and it was already taking place during the events of End of Evangelion. All the relations between the Eva characters are pretty much destroyed by that point, and all the plans are nearing completion, so placing this story at that point was just wrong. In any case, this isn't just the same fic with other timeline. The overall plot is the same, yes, but many other things have been changed as well.

In my opinion, what makes Evangelion and Metal Gear awesome is mostly the incredible depth of the characters. They actually seem real sometimes, so motivated they are, so realistic in their own way. They have motivations, fears, strengths and weaknesses. Another great thing is that in the end all the characters are heroes in their own way, since they all fight for their purposes and what they think is right. There is no ultimate evil in both sagas. Even SEELE believed that they were doing the good thing by furthering Instrumentality. That, I think, is one of the things that makes a crossover possible, since all the characters are realistic and we just can't get tired of them. In my experience, I found myself wondering about what could happen if we crossed both universes. This is the result, what I think could happen if both casts lived in the same world.

Haven't you thought about the possibility of Metal Gear Ray facing Unit 01? Snake fighting side by side with the pilots of EVA? Someone powerful enough to rightfully challenge Gendo Ikari? Or the possibility of the two casts strengthening each other? If you are interested, stay. I really tried my best with this fic. All my best thoughts went in here, all my best efforts into writing something entertaining, yet meaningful as well. A story that leaves something by itself. If you liked 'Vengeance', then you probably will like this one too. They both come from my most philosophical side. It might not be perfect, but it's the best I can come up with as of now. If you read it, then leave a review and tell me if you liked it or not. Let me know what you think.

Devil Boss

**Just a few details:**

This story displays Big Boss as one of the main characters. For those of you that are a bit unfamiliar with the MGS world, Big Boss is the main character of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. He is also known as Naked Snake. Solid Snake is his clone, and the man that beat him in the first two games of the Metal Gear saga. Liquid Snake, Liquid Ocelot and Solidus Snake all wanted the same thing: revive Big Boss' dream. To build a nation for soldiers and free the world from the grasp of tyranny.

For the sake of the argument, Solid Snake is still Solid Snake and not his older counterpart, MGS4's Old Snake. I just couldn't place Old Snake in this story, so in this fic Snake is 43 years old and he looks like he is in his early 50's.

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**Prologue I**

The 21st. Century began with the world split into two. A hidden war took place for years, ready to blow into the deadliest battles mankind had ever seen. And it all started in September 13th of the year 2000.

The Second Impact. Mankind's attempt to control our fate, and reach a state we are not meant to have. The Sin of mankind drove us to ruin. The new century was born in the middle of chaos. And being submerged in chaos, the answer was war. New armies arose, new means of warfare. New powers that challenged the old ones. A new generation of children was born, children born after terrible parents, children without a future to call their own. Children scarred for sins that were not theirs, but their parents'. The upcoming war with the Angels planted the seed of fear in mankind's heart, and the Evangelion Project was born. A project that would demand only very specific people to participate. A project that demanded the sacrifice of the mothers for their children. A project that demanded the very soul of those children.

Only specific candidates would be a part of that project. The same sin committed with the Les Enfant Terrible project was repeated. Only children born after the Second Impact and with some rare genetic characteristics would be considered appropriate. Those children's gene's... their genes would seal their fate. Genes control. Evangelion control. Battlefield control. History control. Evolution control. Mankind reached its lowest point after the Second Impact. The Gene Manipulation therapy was restarted. A new breed of artificial soldiers was about to rise.

As the world's axis shifted to Japan, they made the same mistakes the United States had during the Cold War. They created monsters... and said monsters now run free. Their sin is our sin. We failed, our generation failed. For another project of terrible children had been born.

Superior genes. Superior education. Superior technology. The best training GEHRIN could give to an EVA Pilot. One child that only sought freedom from the ghosts that haunted her. One child that looked for the freedom to be outside anyone's shadow. Asuka Langley Soryu was raised much like the legendary Liquid Snake.

Rushed training. Trauma. Inferior genes. Inferior education. A forgiven product of the late Doctor Ikari, one child no one wanted, one child used to create another. One child tossed away for the sake of someone else's goals. One child called to war after ten years. One inferior child that arose and could not be stopped. Shinji Ikari was raised much like Solid Snake.

A zero. The control subject of the experiment. The ultimate tool. The ultimate pawn. Rei Ayanami... Rei Ayanami was the ultimate slave, the ultimate cripple... much like Solidus Snake.

But some of the old legends are still alive. One of the products and the original recipient of the Les Enfants Terrible project still live. The old program of super soldiers isn't dead yet. And now is time for the two generations of children of sin to face each other. Now it's the time... for one last war of heroes to take place.

**-Solid Snake, circa 2016**

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**Evangelion: Rise of Outer Heaven**

**.**

**Prologue II**

**June 2015 - One month before the Angel attacks**

Misato Katsuragi was in the middle of a shootout. Having arrived at her new apartment seconds ago, she was getting out of her car in the parking lot of the building when she suddenly found herself being shot at by four armed men. Misato had ducked right behind her car and had gotten out her USP 45. Pistol in the blink of an eye, trying to get some idea as to where were the men attacking her and what could she do to beat them.

Some bullets went above Misato's head and hit the glass on her car's door, smashing it and sending crystals everywhere. Misato didn't even flinch. She was a fully trained military officer, and she had seen combat before. Four armed men weren't enough to scare her. So she took a quick look before shooting at the nearest one, which was unprotected.

The man got two shots on the stomach before having any time to react. His partners dove behind some near cars in order to get some cover. None of them had expected the Captain to put up a fight after their surprise attack.

One down, three to go. Misato reloaded with coldness and started shooting again. But her attackers were covered and none of her shots hit the mark. Misato had to get her head down to avoid getting hit by the onslaught of bullets headed her way. Devising a plan in a matter of seconds, Misato let out a moan and threw one of her empty clips to the ground, causing a small clack as it hit the ground. Believing Misato to be injured, one of the assassins stepped out and approached the car Misato was hiding behind of. The NERV Captain didn't hesitate: the man was dead one second later, shot in the head.

Two down, two to go.

Misato took a quick glance before getting to cover once more. The two remaining hitmen were behind a black van, taking turns to shoot her and reloading. There was no way for her to take them out head on, so she had to think of something else.

Of course, Misato wasn't NERV Director of Operations just because of her looks. She was one of the best strategists alive, having the second best score in tactics recorded in Germany's military academy in history, the first place belonging to the mythical Big Boss. She spotted a three nearby, not only giving cover but shadow as well. If she could get there, the two remaining hitmen wouldn't see her, and they would inevitably expose themselves when looking for her. But Misato had to be careful: if they saw through her ruse she was as good as dead.

Acting on her plan, Misato simply did nothing. She didn't shoot anymore; letting the two men do that for a while. She had to be extremely careful now: fighting head on was one of the worst tactics one could take when outnumbered. Misato let her attackers' fire for a minute, keeping her cool as best as she could. Several bullets went really close to her, but she remained uninjured.

Believing the Captain to have run out of ammunition, the assassins approached the car she was hiding behind of. Misato took her chance and fired wildly, not even stopping to take aim, as she knew that being exposed for long before the two armed men would mean death for her. The two men yelled in surprise and rushed to cover, leaving Misato unwatched for some seconds.

Misato made use of that and moved swiftly under the three, invisible now in the shadows. She remained very still now, waiting for the right time to strike.

Now. One of the hitmen approached her car very carefully; his attention completely focused on avoiding any more tricks Misato could try. Using this chance, Misato put all her faith in her military training and stealthily moved to the side of the parking lot, using the shadows to cover herself. This went well, as neither of the assassins noticed her, focused on her car as they were. Misato decided to take out the hitman covering behind the van first. She silently approached him from behind his back, intending to ambush him and break his neck.

But apparently her skills were not as sharp as they once were, as the hitman heard her just before she could grab him. Turning around in a blur, the man tried to punch her with his right hand, which was holding his pistol, while shouting to alert his partner.

Misato reacted faster than she would have thought possible on her, deviating the assassin's punch and letting him stumble right past her. Once again putting her training to use, Misato put the man in a chokehold and used him as a human shield, trying to get her right hand as free as possible to shoot the other guy when he came.

She wasn't let down. The other hitman came shooting rapidly before realizing that his partner had been the one shot. A brief flash of surprise shone through his eyes, and that hesitation meant death for him, as Misato took aim in that instant and shot him between the eyes.

The man she had used as a human shield was dying in her arms. Misato put him on the floor, knowing that he didn't have much time left.

"Who sent you?" Misato asked, looking at him straight in the eyes "Who sent you to kill me?"

Misato knew that a man's last words tended to be honest. Maybe it was because no one really wanted their last words to be a lie, or maybe because no one cared about schemes and fights when they were about to die. She had asked her questions based on that assumption, looking intently at the man and waiting for him to talk before death claimed him.

"The...Patriots," the man said before letting out a sigh and lying still on the ground.

Misato closed his eyes and holstered her gun. She didn't know who the Patriots were, but if they were powerful enough to attempt an attack on one of NERV's most important members... Misato thought that it was a good thing that Asuka was still in Germany and Rei lived in another part of the city. At least this way she didn't have to worry about the pilots' safety.

.

Sitting on the roof of a near building, Special Agent and spy Revolver Ocelot was looking at the scene through a pair of binoculars. He had a grin on his face.

Reaching out with his left hand, Ocelot got out a small cell phone and quickly dialled a number. He didn't have to wait much before getting an answer. Still displaying that disturbing grin of his, Ocelot started to talk.

"Yes, is me"

"It is a secure line"

"Captain Misato Katsuragi was outstanding"

"I would very much like that, but duelling her now would be a hindrance to our plans"

"Yes, I have also sent several strike teams to attempt assassinations on all the other prominent members of NERV. They are all scheduled to fail, much like this one"

"I leaked the necessary information for the Patriots to attempt these attacks. But they were far to unresourceful to be effective. Still, NERV and SEELE will be worried by this"

"And they'll start looking for protection against the Patriots"

"If they want to challenge them, they'll have to look for the only man capable of doing so"

"Big Boss, the Naked Snake"

"I'll see you soon, Eva"

* * *

The sentry entered the elevator with his gun raised. He checked the corners before venturing inside. He had heard a noise come from inside, but there was no one here. Shrugging, the guard turned around. He didn't have any time to react when he felt a very intense pain on the back of his neck. Then everything became black.

Solid Snake got up from behind him and hid the unconscious guard body in one of the corners of the elevator. He had climbed to the ceiling, supporting his weight by placing his hands and feet against the walls as hard as he could. Good thing that his FOXHOUND training included Parkour as well.

Everything was dark outside the elevator. Some dimly lit corridors were in front of him, guarded by a few sentries. It was 1:00 AM after all, and the skyscraper was quiet as a tomb.

"Otacon, I've reached the top floor of the building," Snake said through his codec to his partner in Philanthropy "There are a few sentries patrolling; I don't think it's going to be much trouble"

"Be careful, Snake," Otacon advised "There's something about this mission that doesn't sit up well with me. Call it foreboding if you want, but I don't like this"

"And you tell me I'm too paranoid?" Snake mocked while hiding in a dark spot in one dimly lit corridor "But I get what you mean: you don't like this because it's been too easy"

"Exactly," Otacon confirmed, relieved that Snake understood "Snake, you are in one of the most important UN office complexes in the US, and yet you got to the top of their building without so much as a few encounters. Security should be tighter than this!"

"Don't forget this is just their building in the US, not their main office in Tokyo 2," Snake said "But I agree with you; I don't like this either"

Snake moved silently through the dark corridors. He was close to his goal now. A guard was patrolling nearby. As the man turned around, Snake swiftly grabbed him from behind and put him in a chokehold, making him pass out soon thereafter. Snake hid the body and approached a door nearby. Getting out a Security Card he had stolen earlier, Snake opened the door and got inside.

It was a large office with a huge window at the north end. There was a desk in front of the window with one computer in it. Snake took a look around. No one inside. There was plenty of room unused, which could make things troublesome if someone decided to enter, as Snake would have very few places to hide.

"Otacon, I've reached the Chairman's office," Snake said "There's no one here"

"Good," Otacon said "Snake, I need you to connect our pent drive USB device to the computer you see on the desk. That way, I'll be able to hack it and get as much info as we can. We have to see if Ocelot is hiding under the UN's wing by using the name Ivan Shalashaska"

Snake nodded and walked to the desk. He switched the computer on and plug in Otacon's device. The Otaku was an expert hacker, and Snake trusted he could hack into this computer as well. That done, Otacon would get as much files as he could and Snake would leave soon after with the data. They would later analyze what they recovered.

The floor was suddenly filled with the sound of the alarms. Snake quickly crouched behind the desk and readied his handgun. Tapping his index finger into his right ear, Snake called Otacon.

"Otacon," Snake said, checking the door carefully. "The sentries have discovered the bodies I left when sneaking in. You have to prepare my extraction before any reinforcements arrive!"

"Okay Snake," Otacon nodded nervously. He couldn't understand how Snake managed to keep his cool even in such tense situations "I'm sending the Nomad there. You'll have to prepare your helium balloon as quickly as possible"

"Understood," Snake said darkly "You finish hacking that computer. I'm on my way out then"

"Snake, it won't be long before reinforcements arrive," Otacon said "We've got what we wanted. Prepare for extraction now. Get out of there!"

Snake didn't need to hear it twice. He quickly recovered Otacon's device and shot the big windows behind the desk, smashing them. He then procured what looked like a handgun from his backpack. Aiming at the night sky, Snake fired. A balloon came out of his handgun, quickly filling with helium and shining in the dark night. It was the CIA's Fulton Surface to Air Recovery System, created in the sixties for the Cold War. It still worked fifty years later.

"Snake, they're coming!" Otacon shouted through the codec.

Snake readied himself. He could hear the guards approaching, they had surely discovered the sentries he had taken out while getting in by now... but he had to wait. It should be here by now.

A sudden pull and then Snake was lifted into the air, the wind hitting him on the face with full force. Snake looked upwards and saw his recovery team: the Nomad, a huge plane, with an arm on the front that had picked the cable connecting him to the balloon he had fired earlier. Made of titanium and carbon fiber, the cable easily supported Snake's weight as he was extracted from the UN's building with the help of the Nomad. Mission accomplished.

The next weeks' work would be finding out if Ocelot was in fact working with the UN. If that was the case, then Otacon would trace him, and then it would be Snake's turn to give chase.

* * *

**July 2015 - A few days after the Third Angel's attack**

Sitting alone in a small dark room, Revolver Ocelot was talking with someone via a secure phone.

"Chairman Lorenz"

"Yes, is me"

"Yes, it's a secure line"

"We found him, sir. Big Boss' body"

"We will retrieve him soon. I have already contacted some old colleagues to do the task"

"The Patriots won't be able to react in time, not with your supporters backing us up"

"With him, yes, you will be able to challenge the Patriots"

"Gendo Ikari is a traitor"

"Yes, Big Boss is more than a match for him. I think you will be very pleased with him"

"Nothing will stop SEELE now"

"I am always at your disposal, Chairman Keel"

Ocelot grinned and ended the call. Everything was going according to plan. It had taken him three years to earn SEELE's trust, and now he was finally able to release Big Boss from the Patriots' prison. But he had to make another call before departing to his mission. He calmly dialled a new number.

"Yes, it's Ocelot"

"It's been a while, Eva"

"Yes, they bought our story"

"With their aide, yes, you should be able to get him"

"The how is not my problem"

"Both you and I know Big Boss can't be brainwashed, even if they are foolish enough to try"

"Yes, he will need our help"

"I find myself going to Japan very often these days, I know of someone who is just right for our purposes"

"I'd say more like an unsatisfied subordinate. His quest is the same as ours"

"Yes, I'll make sure you get all of SEELE's support for this mission. Being a UN General does have its perks."

"I'll keep in touch, Eva"

Ocelot hung up the phone once more. He was very satisfied; things had gone better than intended. Neither he nor Eva could get Big Boss on their own, as the Patriots watch on him was simply extreme. But it was a different story with SEELE's backup. Soon Big Boss, their true leader and Commander, would return and set this split world straight once again. Soon they would be free.

* * *

"Jack? Is that you?"

Light. An intense light enveloped Jack's body. His arms felt very heavy. His body felt like it was burning intensely. His throat was dry. He didn't dare to open his eye again in fear of being blinded by the intense light. It hurt, everything hurt, his body felt so heavy that he couldn't even move. Jack tried to breath, and soon found himself wishing that he hadn't, his lungs burning cruelty, intensifying the pain. Pain, the pain was terrible, overwhelming. And in that overbearing darkness, the only thing Jack felt was the intense pain. His muscles aching, his legs numb. It became so intense, so powerful, so excruciating that the only thing Jack started to wish for now was the slow oblivion of death.

_"Life's end. Isn't it beautiful? When Life ends it gives off a final lingering aroma"_

_"Boss!"_

A whimper, maybe come from another world, or maybe from his own memories. The voice of his mentor, of his saviour, of the only person that had given his life some meaning. The Boss' voice rang in his head, clear as the last day he had heard her; the day he had murdered her. The day she had sacrificed herself for him.

No. He could not go on like this, hidden in the dark. Not after his own mentor's sacrifice. No matter how much pain he felt, no matter how powerful the light around him was, he had to open his eye again, he had to fight, he had to get up once more.

"Ughhh," a groan of pain came from his throat when he tried to speak for the first time. His voice sounded hoarse and rough. The effort made his throat burn with tremendous intensity for a few moments. Yet his own soul was starting to burn with the same passion that defined his existence.

"Doctor, I think he is waking up!" someone was saying excitedly, his words piercing a hole in Jack's head. He was slowly regaining consciousness, but the more aroused he was the more intense the pain became. And yet pain was his life as well.

"Excellent, about time he woke up. Keel will be satisfied," another voice said.

A new voice arose among the others and began to give orders quickly. Jack felt the pain begin to diminish.

_"I loved you. I've given you weapons, taught you techniques, endowed you with knowledge"_

"Can you hear me?" someone asked. In the intense light, it was impossible to see his face. The only thing that Jack could distinguish was a faint outline. Behind it, there were several figures clouded in shadows. A few more groans escaped his lips. This time, though, he didn't feel his throat burn. Jack felt his strength slowly returning to his body, and with that strength his vision started to get clear again.

"He is awake," said a voice behind him.

"Try to rest," said the figure above him. A doctor. "You've been trough an extreme surgical procedure. Rest and regain your strength"

There was nothing else Jack could do at the time, so he complied. Soon, the figures surrounding him faded in light again. Their voices mixed, and Jack could no longer distinguish one from the other. But there was one thing he knew for sure.

_"Boss... I'm back"_

* * *

**August 2015**

"Well, that was one hell of a ride"

The grand room echoed Rouji Kaji's words, making them last for some seconds in the dimly light place. Standing in front of him was one Gendo Ikari, the Commander of NERV. His face was as stoic as ever, yet one very tiny grin could be seen if looked closely enough. Gendo was standing behind his desk in his grand office, his focus being one small container with the biohazard logo on it.

To Gendo Ikari everything was going according to plan. The Second Child had arrived today, and agent Kaji had brought him one of the most important objects - if not beings - in the face of the Earth.

"This was what caused it, right?" Kaji asked. Gendo didn't reply. Both men knew the answer. Gaghiel, the whale-like Angel, had attacked the pacific fleet due to ADAM's presence in there. That was the reason Gendo had assigned an EVA unit to go with the embryonic Angel, as well as two pilots. And his plans had gone flawlessly. Gendo opened the small container in front of him.

"It has already restored this much," Kaji was saying with a playful smile, his carefree demeanour showing even in the face of one of the most sinister men on Earth "It is contained in solid bakelite, but I assure you it's well alive," the container had a small box inside, a box that guarded a very tiny creature that could almost resemble a human fetus. But this was no fetus, this was something far more ancient, and more powerful "This is the key to the Human Instrumentaly Project, isn't it?"

"Yes," Gendo said "This is the first human being. ADAM"

Gendo smiled.

* * *

Big Boss awoke with the sound of screaming. Startled, he tried to sit up, but his body didn't respond. It didn't take him long to realize that he was the one screaming. He stopped then, trying to figure out where he was.

He was lying down in a bed, his body attached to several machines that monitored his condition. The bed was inside a white, clean room, empty besides him and the machines. All things - the white bed, the machines and the room itself - had that sterile smell that he always associated with hospitals. Yes, he was quite positive that this was indeed a hospital. Though he didn't particularly like them, this was better than being in a cell or something worse. But he should be dead, burned alive by his son, Solid Snake. How come was he in a hospital, and, more important, what was the state of his body?

Big Boss tried to lift his head to take a look at his body. Since he was covered by white sheets he couldn't see much, but everything seemed to be in place. That in itself was wrong. His body should be almost destroyed after the savage fight with Snake. If he was healthy - hole could be a better term - then that meant that he had been saved and healed by someone. Upon this thought, Big Boss recalled some of the words he heard when he first woke up, something about an extreme surgical procedure. If that was the case, the next obvious question was who would want to take Big Boss to a hospital - a very good one, if they could repair the damage his body had sustained - and heal him, and for what purpose.

He didn't have much time to ponder these thoughts, though. The door opened and a young Asian doctor strode in, holding a clipboard. Big Boss stared at him with calm, cold precision. To his credit, the doctor didn't flinch, but his body language gave off his unease.

"Big Boss," the doctor stated, standing on top of Big Boss's bed "How are you feeling?"

"Fairly well, considering the circumstances," Big Boss answered eyeing the man coldly "What happened to me?"

The doctor flinched under that question, his uneasiness growing. He looked nervously at Big Boss, like trying to gather some courage, and then started to speak "You have been retrieved of one of the Patriots facilities. You were in a coma at the time, and your body had terrible injuries. Fortunately, most of your internal organs were intact. We were able to restore your body and your limbs using cutting edge medical technology, and frankly we weren't sure if you would survive the procedure. Despite our doubts, the operation was a complete success, and I can assure you that you will be out that bed very soon. You will go through physical therapy for a few months, but considering your life as a soldier and your peak mental state, we are quite certain that you won't have any problems with it."

"If you got me out of the Patriots control, then who are you?" Big Boss asked gravely "Where am I?"

"I'm sorry; sir, but I can't answer you questions. I'm merely your physician, Doctor Yamada" said the man "I'll call for my superiors now, if you excuse me. I'm sure they'll be able to tell you everything you wish to know"

Big Boss nodded, and doctor Yamada left immediately. There was silence in the room for some time, while Big Boss tried to move his body even a little bit. He was in the process of clenching his fist when two men entered the room, both of them wearing military uniforms. Big Boss looked at them - they seemed strong, like the type of person who tends to give orders rather than take them - and the two men stood in front of his bed.

"Big Boss," said one of them, an old man of broad shoulders "I am Colonel Dreher of the German army and this is my partner Lieutenant Bohn. We are here to brief you about the current situation and to tell you about your future arrangements with us"

The man had spoken confidently and Big Boss eyed him for a few moments. He had talked about 'future arrangements' with no doubts about it, like taking Big Boss's cooperation for granted.

"I see," Big Boss said "Then I'll ask you the same question Doctor Yamada couldn't answer "Who are you, and where I am?"

"We are part of SEELE, the most powerful organization on the planet," Colonel Dreher answered "Right now, you are in one of SEELE's secret facilities, to heal your wounds and then assist SEELE in its crusade"

"What year is this?" Big Boss asked suddenly. Both Colonel Dreher and Lieutenant Bohn looked surprised.

"I was defeated by Solid Snake in 1999," explained Big Boss "At the time, the Patriots were by far the most powerful organization in the world. According to what I've been told, they still exist, but now there is also SEELE. This couldn't have happened in a short amount of time, so I ask you again, what year is this?"

"2015," curtly replied Colonel Dreher "And, as you have deduced, the Patriots are no longer the only power of this world"

"Big Boss," Lieutenant Bohn cut in "You must know that many things happened between your fall and the present time. The world you knew has disappeared"

"We will give full access to our databanks for you to inform yourself about the events that had transpired in these sixteen years you have been lost," added Colonel Dreher "Be sure to learn everything quickly, for you will be called by SEELE's committee very soon. They will give you your orders"

* * *

.

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**Author Notes 2:**

Well, there goes the prologue. I know I made it a little too unclear, but that's because it's just that, a prologue. The actual story begins in Chapter 1, starting in Episode 9 of the anime. That's why we don't get to see much of the main characters of Evangelion. Next chapter will be about that, as it is mostly about Shinji and Asuka bonding with one another during and after the battle with Israfel. Chapter 2 is almost ready, so I think I'll post it next week.

In any case, if you like Metal Gear Solid, stick around. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Let's see where this leads us. I ask you to leave reviews, as they tell me what you think of this story. Leave a review, even if you want to flame me. I thank those as well, since at least I get to know what to improve in the future.

Devil Boss.


	2. Decisions

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own any of the characters from the Evangelion and Metal Gear Solid universes; they belong to Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, GAINAX Studios, Hideo Kojima, Shoji Shinkawa, Kojima Productions and Konami Studios.

**Author Notes:**

First of all, many thanks to the readers that left a review. They really mean a lot to me. Now, this is the start of the story. It is far longer than the prologue, and it deals mostly with Shinji and Asuka. I hope you like it.

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**Chapter 1: Decisions**

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The door of the bathroom slid open and a towel clad Asuka emerged, drying her hair.

"Where's Misato?" the redhead asked.

It was the night before the fight with the Seventh Angel, and finally time to rest for Asuka and Shinji. They had finally achieved 100% synchronization with each other, after a week of ridiculous dancing and overall humiliation. Asuka still hadn't gotten over the stupid leotards Misato had forced them to wear.

"Working," Shinji said, lying down in his futon and reading some magazine "It's gonna be an all nighter. She said so on the phone"

Perfect. Asuka was glad to have some peace at last. She finally got one night without the constant teasing Misato brought. And that in itself brought new possibilities. Asuka smiled to herself. Finally alone with Shinji.

"Then, we're alone tonight," she said making the victory sign with her hand and winking at Shinji. She was sure he would get the hints. So she went and picked up her futon from the living room - where they had been sleeping for the last week, as that had also been a part of their training - and carried it to her new room, closing the door behind her. But then there was still the last hint to be thrown. And so she opened the door again, standing in her knees and hands - and giving Shinji a very good look at her cleavage - and said:

"This is the indestructible Wall of Jericho," Asuka grunted, noticing how Shinji's eyes were pointed some inches below her face "If you cross this wall, you'll be executed! Children shouldn't stay up late!" And with that she closed the door.

Now it was merely a matter of waiting. She was sure Shinji was smart enough to get the hints by himself. She said he shouldn't act like a child, which could only mean one thing, and on the other hand she had referred to a wall that was famous for falling (Author Note: yes, the Wall of Jericho does not represent an unbreakable barrier, Asuka was using reverse psychology when speaking about it)

Asuka had thought that Shinji was little else than a whiny little boy when meeting him, but that opinion had changed after their joint fight against the Sixth Angel and their week of synching with one another. She had found that Shinji was a really nice person she could come to respect, given that side of him that actually could stand up to the challenges of being an EVA pilot. And his calm and pleasant attitude made her feel accepted for the first time in a long time. She hadn't missed the warm smile in his face when she talked about showing up Misato and Rei. And she wouldn't forget that it had been Shinji the one to go looking for her after the First showed her up.

But Shinji didn't come. Asuka waited for some time, the feeling of rejection growing inside her, and finally hung her head. Shinji wasn't coming.

.

Shinji couldn't sleep. It happened from time to time, some nagging thoughts would enter his head or some memories from his worst battles would refuse to disappear, and he wouldn't be able to sleep for a while. It also happened whenever he was nervous about something. Right now it was a mixture of the three. So he simply put his earphones on and listened to some music to calm himself before going to sleep.

But that idea was soon forgotten when Asuka's door slid open and the redhead came out of her room. Shinji pretended to be asleep while the fiery girl went to the bathroom, expecting her to get back to her room after she was done. She had moved away from the living room by herself after all.

But when a loud noise at his side and the feeling of something lying down right next to him made themselves present he opened his eyes. And he gasped in surprise.

Asuka was laying asleep right in front of him. Her features were soft, relaxed. She looked so calm that Shinji wouldn't have believed this was the same loud girl that kicked him around and monopolized the bathroom since moving in. She looked... peaceful. Peaceful and somehow fragile. A faint trait, something in the air maybe, something about her that spoke about the need for comfort.

Asuka was breathing calmly. Shinji looked at her, at her chest and finally at her lips. He began drawing closer to those lips, soft as they looked. His face was mere inches apart from hers.

"Ma... Mama..."

.

She was a child, just like him.

* * *

The last rays of sunlight burst from the distant horizon. Tiredly, Big Boss exited his quarters and went to the building's terrace, located just a few floors above his room. He had always been a quick learner, but he just couldn't believe the things he read in the reports SEELE gave him. He couldn't believe that half of the human race had died fifteen years ago just like that, by the actions of some foolish man. Not that the whole God-like being buried in Antarctica was believable as well. But he quickly discarded the thought of deceit. It just wouldn't make any sense for SEELE to deceive him, since they were obviously in need of his services. And if they needed a military strategist, they would have to give him the best information they've got in the name of efficiency. No. He wasn't being deceived, at least not on this regard.

But still, all that learning wore him out. He needed to cool off, let his mind rest for a while. And the sunset was certainly very inviting.

The terrace was bathed in reddish light. The sunset could be seen from there in all its glory. Big Boss was marching towards the edge when he noticed something.

He wasn't alone.

There was a strange boy sitting calmly on the edge of the terrace. Big Boss studied him quietly while approaching him. He was wearing a plain white shirt and black pants, almost like a school uniform. He had light grey hair and a nicely shaped face, graced by a calm smile that didn't suit a teenager. But his most interesting feature was his eyes. A pair of deep red eyes that gave him a calmly powerful look, like the eyes of those who are in possession of great knowledge and wisdom.

"Nagisa!" a man wearing a coat called "you are not supposed to leave your quarters unless specifically told to!"

The boy said nothing, but instead turned his red eyes towards the man who was calling him. The man flinched under his intense glare and hurriedly left the terrace.

Big Boss was surprised. After all, there weren't many teenagers that possessed such an intense aura. After an entire life of seeing almost supernatural things he could see this clearly, he almost could feel it, this kid wasn't normal.

"Mind if I join you?" Big Boss asked politely. It was truly a beautiful sunset, and there was an excellent view from the terrace.

The boy looked at him with his intense crimson eyes. Unlike the man who had yelled to him, Big Boss didn't flinch under his glance, returning instead a powerful look of his own. Now he was sure, this boy wasn't normal. It wasn't the fact that the kid's eyes were red, no; it was the incredible deepness, the wisdom, the antiquity of them. For one second Big Boss thought that he saw the faintest trait of surprise in those eyes.

"It would be my pleasure," the boy said after a few seconds. Then, he suddenly smiled "I'm Kaworu. Nagisa Kaworu"

"Pleased to meet you, Kaworu. I'm Jack"

"But that's not how people calls you, am I right?"

"Mmmph. You are very perceptive," Big Boss said with a grin "Most people calls me Big Boss"

"Big Boss," Kaworu repeated, lost in thought "is a name with a very powerful meaning"

Both fell silent after that. There was no need to break the silence, and small talk wasn't their strongest suit. They only stared at the visage, enjoying the sunset.

Kaworu then started humming quietly, a calm smile in his face. Once again, he seemed lost in thought, like he was seeing things from afar.

"Ode to joy, huh?" Big Boss said after a few minutes "it suits you somehow"

"Music brings us joy," Kaworu stated "Music is the highest culture Lilims have created"

"You got that wrong, kid," Big Boss said "this is mankind's greatest creation" He showed Kaworu a cigar, and then he lit it up.

They both let out a quiet chuckle, and then they fell silent once again.

* * *

"Here," Ritsuko said, giving Misato a cup of coffee.

"Thank you," Misato said sincerely. She really needed some coffee to get trough the night.

"It's rare to see you sober," Ritsuko half commented, half mocked. She couldn't help it, it was her style of doing things. And Misato was simply too tease-able.

"For some reason..." Misato mumbled, staring off into space.

Ah. It was one of those moods then. Ritsuko smiled. Misato would normally go ballistic after being accused of alcoholism - even if said accusations were usually true - but she could be very thoughtful from time to time. It tended to happen when she had something in her mind. And Ritsuko knew her well enough to realize that the Captain wouldn't be satisfied until talking about it.

"Work, or a man?" Ritsuko asked. Those were usually her friend's concerns. Beer didn't count since Ritsuko's alcohol was work.

"Many things," Misato frowned. Ritsuko would have to thank her someday for those frowns. She never got enough fun from seeing Misato get angry.

"So, still in love?"

Misato spat her coffee and Ritsuko couldn't help but smile. That was more like it. But Misato frowned again.

"No way," the purple haired woman said "That was my biggest mistake. He hasn't changed at all, so immature. I don't want anything with him anymore, not again"

Something in her tone made Ritsuko think that Misato could be serious this time. It was something subtle - she couldn't quite put her finger on it - but it was still there. Misato lacked that air of indignation she always got when teased or in denial. She seemed very serious this time.

Misato, on her part, sighed again. Far too much had been happening in the last months for her to ever be the same. She had seen Shinji go into battle over and over again, piloting a monster he despised, risking his life in every sortie. She had seen Rei get almost fired when trying to save his life. She had become herself a part of a terrible ongoing war. After all of that she simply couldn't go back to her previous life and addictions. Kaji hadn't changed a bit, but she had. She couldn't, wouldn't run away again. She wouldn't try to fight her loneliness with sex again. Not anymore.

Above all, she wanted someone more serious for once. Someone with a true purpose, not that carefree immature attitude Kaji had. Someone who could understand her, and help her. Shinji would have been perfect, had he been older and a little less depressive. Someone who would see her as more than a nice body to fuck.

But that didn't matter now. She had to set things up for the battle.

* * *

Things were going fine, Misato thought. No, in reality things were going perfect so far. Misato would dance in joy at the sight of the incredibly coordinated moves the children and their EVAs were displaying, if not because the battle wasn't over yet. Still, the sight of the red and purple behemoths doing backflips on the middle of the city was a very impressive - and strange - sight to behold.

But Shinji and Asuka seemed to move as one, fighting like twins against a divided opponent, their tactical retreat being performed with no hesitation on both of them. Misato ordered for some cover fire, allowing the pilots to regroup and counterattack, delivering a right handed hook at the split Angel followed by a spinning kick that united the creature. Alone, the Angel found itself outmatched by the twinned EVAs, which moved like Snakes on the battlefield, jumping and spinning in the air and finally delivering one last devastating kick that shattered the Angel's core, driving the outmatched creature out of the city and causing a huge explosion that turned a hill into a steaming crater.

"Both EVAs confirmed," Lieutenant Maya Ibuki announced from her console.

Misato smiled. It had been perfect. Flawless.

Maybe not.

Misato let out a strange noise that was halfway being a grunt and a moan.

"Looks bad," Ritsuko said, proving how sharp her sarcasm could be even when stating the obvious.

Unit 01 laid on top of Unit 02, the two EVAs the living image of epic failure. It was bad enough to drown the good mood after the victory. But that didn't last, as it didn't take long for the argument between the pilots to cause loud laughter in all of Central Dogma.

Fuyutsuki facepalmed.

* * *

Twelve monoliths stood forming a circle in the darkness, each one labelled with the name of SEELE and the corresponding number of the council member they were representing. It was there, in that empty chamber, that the fate of mankind was decided upon by twelve men, who were powerful enough to seek immortality. Twelve men who believed themselves in possession of the key to perfection.

"Big Boss," stated the mighty voice of Keel Lorenz, SEELE 01 "I assume that you already know everything about the present time"

The circle of monoliths surrounded an old, tall man wearing a brown military coat. Big Boss stood amongst the twelve monoliths of SEELE not loosening even a bit of his own powerful aura. He was a stranger between them, but he was still extremely powerful on his own, both by his own capacities as what he could order others to do. And the fact that SEELE had revived him was proof enough that they needed him in the end.

"I do. I have been briefed in everything that has happened since Second Impact to the present date."

"Excellent," said SEELE 07 "Then you will be of use to our scenario"

"Finally, SEELE will rise over the Patriots," SEELE 12 claimed.

"Indeed," echoed SEELE 10.

"Big Boss," started again Keel "You have been revived by SEELE only to the use of SEELE. It is only thanks to us that you can enjoy this second chance in life"

"I am very grateful for this chance," Big Boss said submissively "And I will be more than happy to carry out the scenario this committee has designed, in retribution to mi revival"

"See that you do. SEELE does not tolerate failure," warned SEELE 03.

"I will carry out any assignment you have planed for me," reassured Big Boss.

"Indeed," stated Keel "You will start today"

"The Patriots are becoming a nuisance to us," SEELE 08 said.

"You are to deter them," ordered SEELE 09.

There was a moment of silence. The cards were on the table. It was obvious to Big Boss that no matter how much power SEELE had they still were no match to the Patriots. How could they, if the Patriots were far older, and even by the seventies they already controlled half of the world? Big Boss knew that they had revived him only to fight the Patriots once again, since they were far less skilled in that field.

"I understand," Big Boss said simply.

"SEELE warns you, Big Boss," chided SEELE 03 "just like we brought you back we can dispose of you again"

"I will not fail," Big Boss stated calmly "Fighting the Patriots is what I have been doing for the past decades. There is no one better suited for that job. I only require the assistance of some of my old colleagues to do carry out the task"

"Your old acquaintances will contact you to help you carry out your mission," concluded Keel.

"The rest of this meeting does not concern you," SEELE 03 said.

"We will be watching, Big Boss," warned SEELE 10.

* * *

"Great job, Asuka," Misato grinned to the redhead as she walked out of the locker room after showering and changing out of her plugsuit. Misato wanted to congratulate Shinji as well - the boy really needed that - but this was Asuka's first true victory and Misato felt that the young girl actually needed some sort of encouragement as well.

"Did you expect anything less?" Asuka asked with undisguised arrogance, yet still beaming at the praise "I'm the great Asuka Langley Soryu after all, that pathetic Angel was no match for me"

Misato allowed herself a smile. She didn't like having an overconfident pilot - that was the recipe for disaster - but she couldn't just spoil this moment to Asuka.

"I knew you could do it," Misato said. Asuka smiled happily as they started to walk away from the locker room.

"The idiot wasn't so bad in the end," Asuka said with a smug grin "He was pretty close at keeping up with me actually. But he could have done far better if he actually cared about what he does. I mean, he'll have to try his hardest if he really wants to be as good as me"

Seeing Misato shake her head with an absent look on her face, Asuka got intrigued.

"What is it?" the redhead asked.

Misato paused, as if looking for the right way to put her thoughts into words. She had a pensive look now, a thoughtful look that displayed some sadness as well.

"Asuka..." Misato said lowly, not looking at the German girl "Shinji doesn't want to pilot EVA. He despises it, actually," Misato went on slowly, not looking at the now dumbfounded Asuka "His father forced him to pilot the moment he got here by using Rei to blackmail him. If he refused, she would have had to sortie against the Third Angel by herself, and she was in no condition to fight... she would have died. Shinji hated the EVA from the very first instant he saw it," and now Misato seemed sadder than ever, the sorrow she felt at using such a kind hearted person like this "Shinji doesn't pilot the EVA to get glory, nor for any personal reason he could have. He does it for others. So when you talk about him wanting to be as good as you, think that he hates being a pilot in the first place. I don't think he actually cares much about who is the better pilot, as long as he can save others by doing it"

Asuka fell silent after hearing Misato's words. She was surprised, yet she somehow felt like she should have known something like this had happened to Shinji. It fit, and it explained many things... as well as leaving her with more questions to ask. But now wasn't the time for that. She would have plenty of opportunities to ask questions in the future, as well as to see if Shinji was really interested in her and wouldn't reject her like the night before the battle.

"Say, Misato..." Asuka started to say in a rather unsecure tone "What will happen with me now? Where am I going to live?"

Misato threw Asuka a small look, surprised at the redhead's subdued tone, as Asuka as the kind of person that would say things very loudly, as if to draw attention to her. But Misato was pretty good at figuring people's subtle intentions, and she had a sneaking suspicion about where this was going.

"Well, since you don't want to live with us anymore," Misato started, eyeing Asuka from the corner of her eyes "You will be assigned some living quarters here in the Geo Front. They are pretty comfortable, so I don't think you'll have any problems to settle down"

Asuka didn't answer right away. She had a pensive look on her face. Yet Misato was sure that she could see something else about her now, a faint air of loneliness, maybe even sadness.

"So there wouldn't be any problems if I lived with you and Shinji?" Asuka asked quietly. Misato resisted the urge to tease her, as this was one of the very rare times Asuka would show her true intentions.

"Not from our part. I'm sure Shinji would like having you around and you and I have lived together before. I'm sure things would work fine, if you wanted to come with us"

Asuka looked at Misato and gave her a very slight nod. Misato smiled.

"We'll have to buy some groceries then," the Captain grinned, her voice now gaining a slightly evil tone "To celebrate this night"

* * *

Dinner had gone surprisingly well, all things considered. Neither Shinji nor Asuka had done much bickering - their synch training still coming in handy after the battle - and Misato had decided to go to bed when realizing that she couldn't walk straight anymore.

Shinji finished washing the dishes and sighed. He was not entirely sure about what was going on. He had expected Asuka to leave after the battle, since she had openly claimed that she hated being thrown in the same apartment as him for their training. And yet here she was, still with them. Shinji didn't know what to think. Would she leave tomorrow? The day after tomorrow? Next week, maybe? Sighing again, Shinji went past the living room and got to the balcony. It was close midnight, and Tokyo 3 still shone brightly, as if mocking the dead Angels with its survival.

"I like the view from here"

Shinji turned abruptly and found Asuka behind him, dressed in a tank top and some very short shorts. The girl had a small smile in her lips, a smile that did have a faint air of mischief.

"A-Asuka..." Shinji stammered, not knowing what to say. He wasn't used to the German girl, not even after their training together. Asuka made a small grunt and stood at his side, looking at the city as well.

"You better start making some decent meals each day, idiot," Asuka said after some silence "Because I sure as hell won't take that instant crap Misato calls dinner to eat, you hear me?"

"But..." Shinji started to say, not really knowing how to ask this without angering the volatile redhead "You are going to live here too? Weren't you going to leave after the battle?"

"Well, Misato asked me to stay," Asuka said while sighing dramatically "I would be better off by myself though, but Misato insisted so much I could not refuse"

"But she-she asked you without consulting me?" Shinji asked incredulously.

"Do you have a problem with this, Third Child?" Asuka asked dangerously, putting her hands on her hips and giving Shinji a rather disturbing glare.

"No-no," Shinji said, showing incredible confidence and an overwhelming capacity to stand up for himself "It's just I'm surprised, I suppose"

"Mmph," Asuka grunted before smiling "You'll come in handy to eliminate my stress. Don't worry Third Child; I'll pamper you a lot"

Asuka winked and left a rather stunned Shinji in the balcony, who just didn't know what to think after this. It wasn't that he hated the idea of living with Asuka as well - last week had been fun in its own way after all - but rather that he couldn't understand why she had decided to stay. And her last smile and wink would keep him awake for a while, he was sure of that.

He went to sleep a few minutes later, the apartment filled with silence.

* * *

Solid Snake was walking briskly under the heavy rain, his trench coat giving him little protection from the downpour, his cigarette useless now. Snake sighed tiredly and threw the cigarette away, cursing the weather of New York. It was a very cold night, and the rain certainly didn't help to improve his mood. The last days had been very quiet to him, since Otacon was on the verge of decrypting some new Intel from the UN theft a few months ago and there was no mission to complete for him. Not that he was complaining about the lack of combat, but the inactivity was starting to get to him, and to make things worse he couldn't stand the constant sound of Otacon typing at his laptop. So he went out to check the neighbourhood, looking for any strange activities or anything that could be remotely related to the Patriots. After all, it wouldn't be the first time that some hitman found them. Snake smirked, thinking of the last one. The guy certainly had had some balls, trying to kill him with a knife in some rundown bar in San Diego 2. But even after Snake had disposed of the man, both he and Otacon had to get away from the city as fast as they could. And now, they were back in New York after six years since the incident in the Big Shell took place, once again hidden in the dark alleys of The Bronx. And this six years had taken their toll in Snake, his hair now having some grey strays in his otherwise dark brown colour, his face presenting more wrinkles than before. It was only through his unyielding will that Snake had kept his physique in peak condition, as it was absolutely necessary that he were ready to face combat at any time.

Snake slowly went up some decrepit stairs, thoroughly soaked and silently cursing the weather once again. Then, he stopped in front of the apartment he and Otacon were living in, on the second floor of a small building. Slowly, he proceeded to knock twice, then knock thrice at a brisk pace to finally knock one last time, slowly again.

"Name the girl of your dreams," came a muffled voice from the inside.

Snake sighed tiredly. He was freezing, that damned rain had got to his nerves and on top of that he had lost his cigarette. Putting himself together, he answered in a low voice:

"Akina Minami". Snake had always had a soft spot for Asian women.

The door lock clicked and Otacon opened the door with a sheepish grin on his face. Snake grunted and entered with haste, moving past Otacon and throwing his coat on top of a wooden chair.

"Why do you always pick the most embarrassing security questions to ask?" Snake asked while lighting up a new cigarette.

"Hey, I won fair and square," Otacon said, his grin widening "It's not my fault that you suck at rock, paper, and scissors"

Snake grunted again. Damned him if he knew how the hell Otacon managed to beat him at rock, paper, scissors all the time, getting to pick which security questions were to be asked.

"Have you found something?" Snake asked. Otacon had been trying to decrypt the information Snake had stolen from the UN two months earlier, looking for information of the Patriots, Metal Gear, or any other signs as to where Ocelot could be.

"Yes," Otacon answered, sitting in front of his laptop again "Snake, you are not going to like this..."

"Let me guess. You have found a new type of Metal Gear," Snake said, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"No. Something even worse," Otacon said, turning to see Snake "I hacked into some of the UN's files. Ocelot is in Japan"

Snake gave him a surprised look. After the incident in the Big Shell, Ocelot had disappeared of the map. Philanthropy had searched everywhere, and still they hadn't found even a trace of him, at least not in western countries. They had once made a trip to Asia, but things had really got out of hand when some organization called SEELE hunted them down. It was a miracle they had been able to return alive.

"Are you sure about that?" Snake questioned his partner, still sceptical. As far as they knew, Ocelot was a spy for the Patriots. Being under the influence of SEELE, Eastern countries were off limits to him.

"No doubt about it" Otacon said "Hacked out of the UN files myself"

"Japan?" Snake wondered "What could he want in there?"

"Either he is hunting SEELE down by order of the Patriots," Otacon said gravely "or he is after the Evangelions"

"The Evangelions..." Snake mused, lost in thought "Those things are even worse than Metal Gear"

"The security of the Evangelion project is even tighter than that of the Metal Gear project. It's a mystery how many more EVAs exist aside from the three known by the public. If Ocelot gets them, he will be unstoppable," Otacon concluded "Not to mention the danger humanity would be in if he gets to mass produce them. He could kidnap the pilots for all we know, and force them to work for the Patriots. We have to stop him"

Both Snake and Otacon fell silent for a few minutes. They knew of the ongoing war in Tokyo 3, and how the Evangelions were mankind's only defence against the Angels. Otacon had even hacked into some intelligence network and learned about how two Evangelion had defeated an Angel just a few days ago.

"Getting in Japan will be tough," Snake argued "I don't want to repeat our last experience in that country"

"Remember that last time we were expecting lighter security" Otacon countered "We thought that the Patriots didn't have much influence over there"

"And it turned out that there was another secret organization that wanted our heads too," Snake grunted "SEELE controls the military in Japan; and Tokyo 3 is under strict surveillance. It'll be a close call"

"Hey, remember we have the Nomad this time," Otacon said. The Nomad was a C 17 Globemaster III, an American military heavy transport. "I installed a stealth system on the plane. Mei Ling helped too. It should help us get undetected in the country. Once there, we go to Tokyo 3 by any means possible"

Snake took a puff of his cigarette while Otacon stood in silence. Both had the feeling that this mission was going to be pivotal in their career as terrorists, and that there would be no turning back from this.

"All right. We better start packing up then. Let's go to Tokyo 3"

* * *

**One week later**

.

Ryoji Kaji sighed while the elevator went upwards. Having arrived at Tokyo just a few weeks ago, he was very busy with making useful contacts and overall checking the ground. Sometimes things would go smoothly; sometimes he would have to resort to blackmail, and sometimes everything would go downhill, which usually ended with some bullet in the chest of one of the participants. Kaji was a spy after all, and a good one at that too.

Walking slowly, Kaji finally reached his floor and checked everything up before opening the door and entering his apartment. He had some tricks to know if someone had broken in his apartment while he was gone. It wasn't a mean of safety; instead it was a mean of intelligence. If someone did break in, Kaji would be very pleased in finding him or her and finding everything out about them. Sensing no danger, Kaji stepped in and got to the living room.

Only to stop dead in his tracks.

"Ah, you are here at last. I'm glad you made it safely"

There was a man inside, calmly sitting in Kaji's couch. He was old, yet everything about him spoke about imminent danger, from his shining cold eyes to the rather harmless and yet still threatening position he was in. The man had clear gray hair, and a thin and curvaceous moustache in his face.

Kaji quickly reached for his gun, but the man merely raised a hand, as if to point that he wasn't looking for a fight.

"There is no need for that, my friend," the stranger spoke with an unsettling smirk "If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already"

Kaji simply nodded and sat in one of the living room chairs, his rogue grin finding its way to his face. This was not like the movies, where there would be a huge gunfight if two agents found each other. This was intelligence, and that meant knowing as much people as possible.

"I must say, I'm impressed with your skills," Kaji grinned with his ever present carefree demeanour "No one had ever got past one wired door without me knowing"

"Well, I'm older than you," the man smiled as well. Yet his smile was not as friendly as Kaji's "The Cold War did teach me some secrets that I'm afraid are lost for your generation"

"The Cold War and FOXHOUND, am I right?" Kaji asked calmly, keeping his cool. In reality this was a very tense situation for both men: either of them could suddenly make some unexpected move and then hell would break loose. And they would be exchanging some very dangerous information, Kaji was sure. It was the signature of a good agent to calm themselves and assume whatever attitude was necessary for the task at hand.

"So you know who I am," the stranger grinned with satisfaction.

"Indeed, I'm one of the few in the espionage business who knows about the crafty Revolver Ocelot," Kaji smiled. Even if the doings of the FOXHOUND unit weren't known worldwide, Revolver Ocelot was due to his famous missions in the past. That and his showdowns with Solid Snake "So what do I owe the honor of your visit, mister Ocelot?"

Ocelot leaned forward on the couch and eyed Kaji with disturbing cold eyes. Kaji didn't even flinch, but he knew that now was the time for the real deal.

"Pleasantries aside, Agent Kaji, let me tell you that I know all about your job," Ocelot said seriously "About how you pretend to work for NERV while in reality you are feeding intelligence to the fools of the Japanese Government; and how above that you act as a spy for SEELE. But most important, I know about your own quest, as it is the same as mine"

Kaji merely raised an eyebrow, but he was cursing deep down. It was obvious now that he had been under surveillance, but he hadn't expected it to be so intense. He couldn't understand how Ocelot had managed to figure out his triple play, and above all how had he been able to learn about Kaji's true motives. But Ocelot soon erased those questions.

"You shouldn't look so surprised, my friend," the old man said with a smirk "SEELE knows everything about your crusade to understand the truth. They plan to kill as soon as you fulfil your purpose in their schemes. That is the reason they have been feeding you bad intelligence over the past weeks. Gendo Ikari's been doing the same"

Even though Kaji hadn't thought that he had been discovered so easily, it still didn't surprise him that both SEELE and Ikari had kept him alive even if he was a traitor. This wasn't about if they could kill him, it was about if they gained something with his death. As of now, it seemed that Ikari and SEELE preferred to let him live. But Ocelot's position in all of this was still unknown.

"It seems I've become a little careless lately," Kaji said with his ever present rogue smile. What he really wanted to know was which side Ocelot was in.

"You want the truth," ocelot said, heedless to Kaji's humour "You want to know who the real owners of the world are. You want to learn the truth behind NERV, SEELE and the Patriots" Ocelot leaned forward and looked straight at Kaji's eyes, his voice becoming louder with his last statements "Just like us"

Kaji frowned. This was getting interesting.

"I'm also a triple agent," Ocelot said calmly "But my real employer is Big Boss. And I'm sure that you'll concur with our point of view, once you learn more about our plans"

Ocelot stood up and walked to the window, having turned his back to Kaji. The young spy could easily kill him now, but he didn't want to, and Ocelot knew it.

"Truth is," Ocelot finally said "I'm here to offer you a job"

* * *

'How come I ended up here?'

That phrase could summarize all of Shinji Ikari's thoughts at the present time. Right now, he was being dragged around Tokyo 3's mall by an overly cheerful Asuka, which had stopped to watch about every boutique during the curse of the entire morning. Being a boy, Shinji was naturally bored as hell, missing his good old SDAT and the calmness of his room. But of course, that calmness had gone down the sink since Asuka decided to move in less that one week ago, since it seemed that the redhead simply couldn't stand the quietness, and disturbed everything and everyone around her just for the sake of making some noise. And it looked like she was planning to go out with Kaji today, but the unshaven man had suddenly turned her down, telling her that he couldn't go with her since something had come up at his job. That had left Asuka with a few options: either could she resign herself to boredom today and stay at home playing some videogames, or she could go to the mall anyway. Being a teenage girl, and hyperactive to boot, the choice had been simple to Asuka. She was leaving when she decided to drag Shinji along 'to have a second point of view' in what she was planning to buy. Being the whipped boy he was, Shinji didn't do much except moan in pain when Asuka took a firm grip on his ear to get him out of the apartment.

"Move faster, Shinji! I can't believe I had to go to the mall with you!" Asuka said while eagerly walking through the mall, nearing the sports section. Shinji could only sigh and follow her lead, hoping that this torture would end soon. He was simply exhausted from having to watch Asuka - not that watching Asuka was bad in itself, but it could be if she suddenly decided that he was staring and hit him in the head - try about every dress, skirt, sweater and shoes she could find in the place. It was worse whenever she decided to ask his opinion on what she was trying, as she would always claim that he had a fashion sense in par with a mushroom, even if she actually did end up buying the stuff Shinji had chosen sometimes. Looking up, Shinji realised where they were heading.

"What the...? This is the swimsuit section!" Shinji said aloud, looking around and not seeing Asuka anywhere. 'She must be somewhere between those swimsuits' Shinji thought while sighing 'Thinking about which one to pick and finally trying all of them on for the next two hours'

"How about this one?" Asuka said while reappearing by surprise, a big smile on her face.

Shinji looked at the revealing two piece she was holding and blushed. He wasn't used to this kind of things, and now she wanted him to give her his opinion? Shinji found the suit a little too revealing - nearing the exhibitionist side in his conservative mind - but like hell would he say a thing about that. If he did, he would find himself kicked out of Japan by an enraged Second Child. So he opted for the best course at hand: mumble something and blush, avoiding confrontation and hoping that the situation would resolve itself.

"Humph, not only you don't have any taste, you don't have a spine either," Asuka growled with a somehow downcast face.

.

Shinji sighed again as Asuka made him pay for her new pair of swimsuits. She had decided to buy her bikini as well as a more conservative red one piece, and since Shinji had dared to withhold his opinion in the matter, she made him buy them with his money as a form of retribution. Not wanting to think about what could happen if he refused, Shinji complied and bought Asuka's swimsuits. Asuka gave him another of her mischievous smiles and dragged him to the food court, thinking about what to eat for lunch.

As they were sitting and waiting to be attended, Asuka glanced at Shinji with a curious look.

"Hey Shinji," Asuka asked "Why didn't you buy a swimsuit for the school trip?"

"Hmm, I..." Shinji said hesitatingly "I wasn't thinking of going, really"

"What!?" Asuka asked, caught by surprise. Frowning, she inquired "Why not? They are going to takes us scuba diving!"

"I'm not much into that kind of thing," Shinji mumbled, not happy with the topic. Asuka's frown deepened.

"What do you mean, idiot?"

"Can we just drop it!?" Shinji said loudly. But Asuka was relentless.

"No!"

"I can't swim, okay!?" Shinji admitted rather angrily. Asuka raised her eyebrows at the news.

"What do you mean? You can't swim, as if you are incapable?" the redhead asked, curious at her fellow pilot.

"No, it's just I never learned," Shinji said looking at his lap. Raising his head, they boy looked at Asuka "Humans weren't meant to float"

"That's one of the most stupid things I've heard," Asuka snorted "We aren't meant to fly as well, and yet we do have airplanes. I mean, I can't believe you can't swim!" and then she started laughing "What an idiot! Hahahaha! I would've liked to see your face when you learned about the LCL inside the Entry Plug of your EVA, hahahaha!"

Shinji hung his head low with a frown that spoke both of anger and shame. Frustrated with his inability to respond, he simply glared at Asuka with anger and embarrassment.

"So what? You'll keep mocking me about it during all week?"

"No, you idiot," Asuka said, flashing him a mischievous grin and a brief wink "You'll have to make an effort to make me up for this during the next weeks, but I actually plan to teach you how to swim"

"What!?" Shinji said, completely thrown off with Asuka's last words "But, but... I..."

"No buts! You are learning and that's final!"

Torn between feeling touched by Asuka's gesture or upset at her commands, Shinji sighed at having his mind made up for him over again and nodded. Asuka beamed and decided that after lunch they would hit the swimsuits section to buy him a pair of swimming trunks.

'Learning to swim with Asuka' Shinji thought wearily 'next weeks are going to be a living hell...'

* * *

"We made it," Otacon said happily while entering their new apartment.

Behind him, Snake had a dark look. While Otacon was happy that they had arrived to Tokyo 3 without being discovered, Snake couldn't help to think of the hard times they sure had ahead of them. They hadn't been discovered, yes, but now they had to make sure that things actually remained that way. It wouldn't be an easy task.

And then there was the issue of finding Ocelot in the city. Snake had no idea how they were supposed to do that.

"We better start working here as fast as possible," Snake grunted "I don't want to spend a second more than necessary in this city"

"Hey, cheer up;" Otacon said "We just got here. Besides, I just received a message from the Nomad. They have left with no problems"

"Mmmm, that's strange too," Snake muttered "We found very little security on our way here. I don't understand what happened to those SEELE agents. Last time it was a living hell. I'm starting to think that perhaps this was a major set up"

Otacon almost smiled. Typical Snake. He just couldn't be happy for once.

"You are just being paranoid," Otacon said.

"I hope so"

.

They spent a few hours unpacking things and settling up inside the apartment. Snake unpacked his sneaking suit and his guns while Otacon set up his computers. Night was falling. Snake decided to go out for a walk, to learn a bit about the terrain. He grabbed his coat and his pack of cigarettes and told Otacon he was leaving.

"Huh?" Otacon said while looking up from the screen he was installing "Oh, yeah... where are you going?"

"I'm going to check the neighbourhood," Snake grunted "I might take a look at the pilots' residence as well. It will be better if we are ready, should Ocelot attempt to abduct them"

"Okay Snake," Otacon said "Remember that your alias will be Iroquois Pliskin. Oh, and the security question this time will be: What do you fear the most?"

Snake grunted and left the apartment. Damn Otacon and his security questions.

* * *

Sitting in NERV's cafeteria, Ritsuko and Misato were having some lunch during their free time between work shifts. Things had calmed down a little after the battle against the Seventh Angel, so the two old friends had some time to spare at last.

"So, have you heard the news?" Ritsuko asked, receiving a confused look from Misato "The UN's new inspector will arrive next week. I heard he wants to be here to oversee some of the pilots' synch tests"

"A new UN inspector?" Misato asked aloud "What for? Those guys are already in our backs as it is, and they still want a new inspector here?"

"Don't give me that look, I'm not the one who sent him," Ritsuko said with a wry smirk.

"Anyway, who is he?" Misato asked. This was suspicious enough already, so she would at least try to dig some Intel on this inspector later.

"General Ivan Shalashaska of the UN Forces," Ritsuko said "He is an old survivor of the Cold War who apparently served under the KGB, and after the Fall of the Iron Curtain he served for the CIA Special Forces Division"

"A survivor of the Cold War?" Misato sneered "He is more like a fossil then. How old is he anyway?"

"He was born in June 6th 1944," Ritsuko said "But don't let that fool you. The Committee seems to hold him in high esteem"

'So, the Committee sends us another inspector, this time a complete foreigner' Misato though 'This is getting even more complicated'

Seeing Misato frown, Ritsuko raised an eyebrow and leaned forward.

"What is it?"

"Probably nothing," Misato mumbled, lost in thought "It's just... I'm sure I've heard the name Shalashaska before..."

* * *

The council of SEELE was having a meeting once again. This was a crucial time for them, and the scenario needed to be updated constantly. Big Boss was standing in the middle of the twelve monoliths; tall and confident, yet also very calm.

"Big Boss," Keel Lorenz, SEELE 01, said gravely "The time has come"

"Your recovery is complete," added SEELE 12.

"Until now, you weren't able to leave this facility," SEELE 04 said "But you can do it now"

"You can take full command of your own forces now," SEELE 09 said mightily.

"I have given the necessary commands," Big Boss said calmly "I'll be departing to Japan now, to establish Outer Heaven's spy network. This Committee has nothing to worry about; the Patriots won't find any useful information after I've done that"

"See that you do," SEELE 03 warned.

Big Boss said nothing for a few seconds. The air turned thick, if that was possible in the dark room. It seemed that SEELE 03 had a certain grudge against Big Boss, as it had been showing in their meetings. But there were very few people in the world that could threaten the Big Boss and get away with it. The pause was very tense. But when Big Boss spoke, his words were calm and compliant as always.

"I will need the aide of some of my own people," he said gravely "My own team of seasoned Generals"

"SEELE has taken care of your needs," Keel answered confidently "Shalashaska is to meet you now"

"Your part in this meeting is over," SEELE 08 said.

* * *

.

.

**Author Notes 2:**

So, there goes Chapter 1. Unlike the previous post, this is the real beginning of the story. Snake goes to Japan, Big Boss gets released, and the Eva cast starts making bonds. If you are a Rei fan, don't worry, I haven't forgotten her. Thing is, if I included her, this chapter would have been huge.

As of now, several parts of the next chapter are already written, so I think that it'll take me about two weeks to complete it. I do hope you liked this one.

Please leave reviews, no matter what you want to say; I take either praise or flames. So, until next time.

Devil Boss.


	3. A reason to fight, a reason to live

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own any of the characters from the Evangelion and Metal Gear Solid universes; they belong to Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, GAINAX Studios, Hideo Kojima, Shoji Shinkawa, Kojima Productions and Konami Studios.

**Author Notes:**

Heartfelt thanks to all the readers who keep adding this story to your notification lists. I'm glad it has piqued your curiosity so far, and I hope it continues to be a source of interest and enjoyment.

As always, feedback keeps the author speeding along. If you're enjoying the story, I hope you'll let me hear from you! Please remember that I appreciate all sorts of reviews, whether positive or negative, so long as you review courteously.

.

.

**Chapter 2: A reason to fight, a reason to live**

.

Solid Snake watched the apartment complex in silence from across the street. He was naturally quiet, and he had grown hiding in the shadows, so the NERV agents guarding the place didn't even suspect that he was there. Security was tight enough to make an assassination attempt hard to perform, so Snake didn't have to worry about some random mercenary abducting them and taking them to Ocelot.

But that wasn't the reason for him to watch the Katsuragi household that night. No, instead he was trying to get used to the pilots and their routines, intent of foiling any possible attempt others could do at getting them. After all, if Otacon's suspicions were correct, Ocelot was in Tokyo 3 as well.

It was a clear night, with the moon shining visibly in the dark sky. Snake sighed. He was used to dirty jobs, but this felt like stalking. It was stalking, in a way. But he knew that this was necessary. So far he had seen the Third Child, Shinji, and a girl Otacon had identified as the Second Child, Asuka Langley Soryu. But Otacon had said that they also lived with NERV's Operations Director, Major Misato Katsuragi.

Snake smirked. Otacon's hacking abilities were really amazing.

.

A car arrived loudly at the building. It was a Renault Alpine, if Snake's memory was still sharp. Whoever the driver was, it was both talented and reckless, as it seemed by the way the car was parked, after a 180º turn.

Snake watched intently. The apartment complex was empty save for the pilots, so this had to be the Major. The driver got off the car. Snake was right.

It was a tall woman, around thirty years old. Snake took as much as a closer look as he could in his position. He was surprised by NERV's Operations Director. Curvaceous and beautiful, Misato Katsuragi looked more like a model rather than a strategist.

'So, this is Misato Katsuragi' Snake thought to himself 'She's a little angel alright'

"You old dog," Otacon chided through the codec "Your binoculars send a direct feed to my terminal. You were checking her out, weren't you?"

"Well, she has a great butt"

.

Snake was watching the surrounding buildings while thinking about possible sniping spots and exit ways for a single operative or an assault team, when a shriek coming from the top floor got his attention. Listening intently and watching with his binoculars, Snake saw that a heated argument was taking place in the apartment.

'That must be Asuka Soryu' Snake mused 'Gee; I would live with Liquid Snake rather than her'

.

Asuka was pissed, which in any other normal human being translated into being overly enraged. She had found out that neither of the pilots were allowed to go to the school trip, as they were on permanent standby, and Shinji's wimpy self hadn't even put a word in her favour. But the worst thing was Misato's smug grin, as if the Captain were satisfied at beating her in their words match.

"Why do we have to wait, wait, wait and wait?" Asuka demanded, thinking of every possible way to make their commanding officer change her mind "Any good officer knows that the best defence is a good offense, so why can't we be the ones to attack them?"

"If we could, we would," Misato said simply "Besides, there were some security breaches lately, and the higher ups are worried. They have even thought about placing a bodyguard in charge of your safety"

Both Shinji and Asuka raised their heads at the news. The idea of a security breach was strange to Shinji, since he was new in the organization and didn't know about its many detractors. Asuka, on the other hand, had nearly ten years of experience on the matter, and did know about NERV's enemies and how they had attacked the organization several times. The most important example had taken place in 2010, she had heard, near GEHRIN's decommission and the creation of NERV. The thought of a leak was disturbing. But there were more pressing matters at hand right now.

"A bodyguard!?" Asuka yelled in rage - which would mean Epic Fury in a normal person - She was not a little girl that needed protection! "Maybe for Shinji, but I don't need a bodyguard! I had Combat Training, you know!"

"You were taught self defence and the use of small firearms," Misato said, well used to Asuka's file "But that isn't much compared to what some enemy agencies or cults could do. Besides, they're thinking of tightening security for everyone, not just you two. It's the logical thing to do, with all the civilian wars and conflicts that have been increasing international pressure" Seeing Asuka frown at the bad news, Misato tried her best to cheer her up a bit "You know, you could use NERV's pool if you want to swim so badly, it's always empty"

"That's right!" Asuka said with a smile "And I can take you there too, idiot Shinji! You'll learn to swim here then"

"Oh, Shinji is learning to swim with you?" Misato said with a very fake innocent tone and a truly evil smile "I didn't know you had it in you, Shinji"

Shinji sighed and hung his head. One barrage of teasing, coming up.

* * *

Big Boss walked briskly out of SEELE's facility. Soon, a plane would take him to Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in all Japan, and actually very close of the Hakone region, were Tokyo 3 was based. A small contingent of soldiers were guarding the hangar were the plane was located. But suddenly they broke the line and let pass another man.

The sound of boots was clear even in the open. A tall, proud man walked amongst the soldiers, seeking Big Boss. He was very old, yet he was still in excellent physical condition, just like Big Boss. His white hair was arranged in a braid that fell to his mid back. A moustache graced his facial features a bit, hiding some of his wrinkles and helping to camouflage his always present wry smirk. But his blue eyes were cold as ice, a pair of eyes that would send chills down most man's spine with just a side glance.

Yet, Big Boss wasn't most men. Instead of flinching, he awaited for the newcomer to get to him.

Revolver Ocelot stopped ten feet in front of Big Boss. The Ocelot and the Snake had finally reunited.

"The legendary Boss," Ocelot smirked "We meet again at last"

Big Boss smiled.

"General Ivan"

.

The plane was riding the skies over Japan, getting closer and closer to Hakone. In a small room, Big Boss and Ocelot were taking care of business.

"Is this room clean?" Big Boss asked abruptly.

"Yes, king," Ocelot answered smirking "Those fools of SEELE left me in charge of your accommodations. There are no listening devices in the entire plane, and the crew answers only to us. We could go to the US now, if we wanted"

Big Boss smiled. His right hand man hadn't lost one bit of his old efficiency.

"What do you know about SEELE?" Big Boss asked his general. He needed all the information he could get in order to decide the next step.

"They are even older than the Patriots," Ocelot said "But it seems that while the Patriots devoted to unite and rule the world, SEELE decided to study some ancient prophesy called Dead Sea Scrolls"

"So I've heard. The prophesy that speaks of the Angel attacks"

"But that's not everything," Ocelot said gravely "SEELE is up to something else. So is NERV. Our little spy was about to get shot while finding the truth"

"I know," Big Boss agreed "There was a kid in the facility I was in. His name was Kaworu Nagisa. He told me that SEELE is using us. He also told me that 'Third Impact can happen in many ways'"

"I suppose he meant the Human Instrumentality Project," Ocelot said gravely "SEELE's mastermind plan, a plan only very few people have heard of. I only heard about it after several years of working for them in the most dangerous missions. That was the only way to gain their trust. I'm not supposed to tell you this, Big Boss. At least, that's what SEELE thinks. They actually tried to rig this plane with listening devices"

Both of them chuckled at those words. It was plain stupid to try and go against a former KGB, Spetsnaz, CIA and FOXHOUND like Ocelot when it came to espionage.

"Ocelot," Big Boss said after a second of silence "Tell me everything you know"

.

A voice trough the speakers announced the coming arrival at Mount Fuji. By that time, Big Boss and Ocelot had been talking for three hours.

"We'll have to speed things up then;" Big Boss said thoughtfully while lighting up a cigar "I'll be busy creating the spy network. You'll have to take the remaining funds of the Philosophers Legacy and Zanzibar Land and establish our new base. You think you can do that, Ocelot?"

"Yes, king," Ocelot grinned "SEELE has ordered me to spy on NERV, and find out as much as I can about Gendo Ikari. The old fools ignore that we already have several contacts inside. I contacted an agent a few days ago, and he has agreed to help us. He'll do my job at spying NERV, and I'll have plenty of time to take care of settling everything up"

"We still need help, though," Big Boss said, taking a puff of his cigar "A team of experienced Special Forces would do wonders for us. The team I gathered in Zanzibar Land was killed by Solid Snake, so we'll have to look for some new candidates"

"SEELE provided us with that too," Ocelot smirked.

"They are too trusting," Big Boss sneered "It's no wonder that they fear the Patriots so much. They would never last in an espionage war"

"Many of the tricks we know from the Cold War are lost," Ocelot said "For them"

Both of them chuckled again. Big Boss and Ocelot were legends from their time, known by doing the impossible on a daily basis. Giving your dogs a very long leash was a rookie's mistake in the Cold War.

"It seems like the world is divided in two again," Big Boss reflected "SEELE in the east and the Patriots in the West. This is not what The Boss wanted for the 21st century"

Their smirks disappeared at those words. Both of them had devoted their lives at making The Boss's dream a reality, the dream of a united world. But now they were back in game, after years of silence.

"What do we have in Special Forces, then?" Big Boss grunted while taking another drag of his cigar.

"Aside from us, there are three other good candidates," Ocelot said "A psychic, known to be the heir of Psycho Mantis. Her name is Screaming Mantis"

"I met Psycho Mantis, many years ago," Big Boss said "At the time, the KGB wondered if there were any men on Earth who could beat him. What happened to him?"

"Solid Snake killed him during the Shadow Moses incident," Ocelot informed. Big Boss merely smirked again. Ocelot continued

"The other candidate is a knife wizard called Vamp. He has been killed several times already, yet he somehow comes back from death over and over again"

"And the last one?" Big Boss asked while tossing his cigar.

"An old acquaintance of yours," Ocelot smiled wryly "Gray Fox"

* * *

"I...um..."

"Well, what is it now, Third Child?"

"I don't think I should do this..."

"Are you going to contradict me, idiot?"

Asuka and Shinji were walking to NERV right now. Instead of a synch test or an Angel attack, the reason behind this walk was far simpler. Asuka had said she would teach Shinji to swim, and she never retreated from something she had said. Even if the other part involved in the deal was actually very reluctant to the idea of swimming. As a matter of fact, Shinji had been trying to talk himself out of the project for the last hour and a half.

Of course, not even his best arguments had much to do against Asuka's ear pulling technique.

"Besides, I should try to do my physics homework. I don't get much of the stuff I am supposed to do"

"Physics? That's the easiest subject," Asuka said with a contented sigh "What's the matter with it?"

"Well, I-I don't get the thermal expansion thing, I suppose," Shinji stuttered. He had no idea of why was he telling this to Asuka of all people. But on the other hand, she was willing to teach him to swim after all.

"Thermal expansion?" Asuka scoffed "How elementary. In short, things swell and get bigger when heated and shrink and get smaller when cooled. In my case, do you think my breast will get bigger when heated?"

Shinji's cell phone rang before Asuka could give Shinji a rather hands on demonstration. Shinji picked it up, both relieved and disappointed at the same time.

"Shinji, there's been a change of plans," Misato said "A new UN inspector came here and he wants to oversee a synch test. Report to the Pribnow Box as soon as possible, and bring Asuka with you" Misato hung up quickly.

"Well, what did she want?" Asuka asked.

Shinji cursed under his breath. Misato had hung up quickly so she could avoid being the one to tell Asuka that she couldn't go swimming today. Shinji was not thrilled by the prospect of delivering the news while in the same place as the explosive redhead.

* * *

"Increase the plugs depth by 0.3," Doctor Akagi ordered. She, Misato, and the three top Lieutenants of NERV were now in the Pribnow Box, testing the Children. While Rei had a synch ratio of 62% and Shinji one of 70%, Asuka still held the record with her 77%.

"Maya, are this readings correct?" Ritsuko asked her subordinate, used to check twice and act once.

"No data error detected by the MAGI," Lieutenant Ibuki answered.

"The testing system is operating normally," Makoto added.

"How can it be that Shinji improved so much since his last test?" Ritsuko wondered aloud.

"Yes, I can't believe it," Maya agreed with her sempai. This was something none of them had expected, since it was common knowledge that Shinji hated NERV.

"The Third Child will soon become NERV's best pilot at this rate, won't he?" A hoarse voice claimed, speaking in flawless Japanese, but with a strong Russian accent.

The heads of everyone turned to look at the door were Vice Commander Fuyutsuki stood accompanied by a very old man wearing fatigues and a long trench coat.

"Everyone, this is General Ivan Shalashaska of the United Nations," Fuyutsuki introduced the newcomer "He will be overseeing this test, as well as many of our procedures in the future"

"Major Katsuragi, Doctor Akagi," Shalashaska bowed "A pleasure to meet you"

Shalashaska grinned, and both women bowed respectfully as well, but their minds were in an uproar.

Misato was sure she had seen this man's face before, and she was sure she had heard the name Shalashaska as well. The appearance of the man certainly didn't help to ease her suspicions. While old, Shalashaska was in top shape, very unlike most of the UN Generals that were usually fat old mans with far too much time in their hands. No, Shalashaska had the kind of body of a Special Forces soldier in his prime; and his tone, his demeanour, all of it said that he was sharp, incredibly sharp. Knowing his reputation of a ruthless commander, Misato felt a tingle in her spine. She didn't want this monster near the children.

Ritsuko Akagi never thought she would meet a man with colder eyes than those of Gendo Ikari, but she was standing in front of living proof of her mistake. This was the kind of men who could kill you without a second thought while looking at you in the eye; or stab you at the back after years of comradeship. Shalashaska smirked, and Ritsuko flinched for the first time in years.

There was a very tense silence for a few seconds.

"So, the results of the Third Children avail my theory, don't they?" Shalashaska asked again, his wry smirk never leaving his face, as if he was absolutely unperturbed by the tension he was causing.

"This is NERV" Misato answered coldly "We will accept only the facts, and not any assumptions. Asuka's our best pilot at the moment"

* * *

Commander Ikari's office inside the Geo Front was grand, and dark, with both its ceiling and floor displaying the Tree of Life. It was designed to cause fear and awe to any stranger that entered the place, by intimidating him because of the huge dimensions of the place.

Nevertheless, the stranger that was currently visiting the room wasn't intimidated in the slightest. Revolver Ocelot – aka Ivan Shalashaska - wasn't a man easily frightened, and he certainly had seen far too many dark things in his life to be intimidated by a room.

He wasn't troubled by the cold look Commander Ikari was giving him as well.

"Commander Ikari," Ocelot bowed "Is an honour to meet you, sir"

Gendo could have snorted at that. This game of pleasantries was almost like mockery from this stranger, a man who curiously didn't even bat an eyebrow at his stare. Gendo could see it; unlike most of the fools he was used to deal with, Shalashaska was as sharp and cold as he was.

"General Shalashaska," Ikari nodded - he would not bow to anyone inside his office - and continued "I take it that you have seen the installations already, as well as the synch test of the selected Children"

"Indeed I have," Ocelot smiled "And I must say that I'm overly impressed with the level of efficiency you maintain here, Commander. I hope that you are carrying the Instrumentality project with an even greater grade of dedication"

"That's correct," Gendo said "Instrumentality is to take place in February First of 2016. Everything is going according to SEELE's scenario"

"I'm afraid I'll have to disagree, my friend," Ocelot smirked. Sub Commander Fuyutsuki, standing behind Ikari, repressed a shudder. Shalashaska was sinister "SEELE was displeased with your pilots' antics during the first battle against the Seventh Angel, and yet you asked us for an increase in NERV's budget. The Committee is wondering if another man could do as well as you without the need of such expensive deeds"

Ocelot smirked. He was an expert of deceit. He knew his accusations were hollow, but he had to play the role of the angry inspector, repeating the same complains SEELE had about Ikari. In reality, what he truly wanted to know had nothing to do with SEELE's scenario.

"Defeating the Angels is our priority," Ikari said "Third Impact cannot take place if the trials aren't fulfilled"

"So I've heard," Ocelot countered "But to SEELE that is of little importance. You were placed in this office to complete SEELE's scenario. If you can't do that, Commander, then perhaps SEELE should remove you from your seat"

To Ocelot this was almost a game. Sometimes he lost himself in the fun that the espionage world meant to him. He would make some accusations, back down when necessary, pretend to be someone else, and wait for the right time. He had never failed before, not even in his days as a triple agent in the Cold War.

"The scenario is going according to SEELE's plans," Commander Ikari said dryly. There was simply no need to say something else. Both he and Shalashaska knew that he wouldn't be removed of his office at this point in events.

"Where is Adam?" Shalashaska asked abruptly "SEELE demands proof that you are not deceiving them again. As you know, Third Impact can't take place without him"

"Adam is secure," Commander Ikari said coldly "And you are dismissed, General"

* * *

CLASH!

Asuka's progressive knife impaled Sandalphon in the depths of the volcano, but to no avail. The huge blade shone in the abyss, sparks flying everywhere, redder than the very magma around them, and yet the creature subjected to such terrible treatment still attacked, relentless, fearless like every Angel. Sandalphon opened his mouth and bit Unit 02 through the heat resistant armor, making the battle a desperate one, as Asuka's time would be over soon if she didn't react in time.

"I can't believe it opened its mouth in that extreme environment!" Dr. Akagi blurted out in the Command Centre.

"What can we do!?" Makoto said in despair, as the monitors displayed Asuka's futile attempts at stabbing the Angel.

"I've got it!" Shinji shouted in his EVA, placed in the surface.

"I've got it!" Asuka echoed Shinji's words "Redirect all cooling pressure to pipe number three, hurry!"

"Thermal expansion!" Ritsuko said in acknowledgement, the technicians carrying Asuka's orders in less than a second.

Asuka stuck the cooling pipe in Sandalphon's body with a proud battle cry, and the Angel faltered for the first time, giving her the time to stab him with her prog. knife again, this time with far more devastating results. A low growl came out of the Angel's mouth, as the two behemoths duelled in the depths, but in the end Unit 02 prevailed, shattering Sandalphon's core and sending the creature to oblivion in the magma.

The pipes broken during the course of the raging battle collapsed at last. The D-type armor cracked under the intense pressure, unable to resist without the cool air. Asuka raised her head.

"I did it, but..." Asuka muttered lowly, eyeing the pipes with a lost look "That's it, I'm done for..."

The cooling pipes snapped and Unit 02 started its descend to oblivion, dooming its pilot to a gruesome death.

Or not.

The entire plug shook violently and Asuka raised her head, expecting to see the crack in the walls that would mean her death. But what she saw left her astonished.

"Shinji?"

Unit 01's horned head was barely distinguishable in the darkness, and with its eye's glow it truly looked like a demon come from hell itself. But to Asuka it was the most reassuring thing in the world.

"Idiot," Asuka whispered sweetly, a calm smile in her face "You show off"

Shinji merely smiled in his image display in Asuka's plug. His smile brought Asuka some peace for once. It was the first time in almost a decade she felt she could depend on someone.

* * *

Misato's blue Renault Alpine moved swiftly through the streets of Tokyo 3, its driver as reckless as always. Asuka was seated at the front seat and Shinji at the back, after Asuka decided that since she had killed the Angel she got to sit on the front. Shinji didn't argue, already lost in thought.

They had visited the hot springs after the victory against the Eighth Angel, returning to NERV some hours later via VTOL, much to the delight of Asuka, who knew how to fly them and enjoyed the ride a lot, sporting a bright smile all the way. And now they were going back to their shared apartment, with a clear night that somehow helped to ease the mood of the two females of the household.

"Are you going to eat with us, Misato?" Asuka asked, eyeing her guardian and throwing a very brief glance at Shinji in the backseat.

"No, not tonight," Misato said with a downcast face "The hot springs were sure nice, but I still got plenty of paperwork to do, you know. I don't think I'll be able to return home 'til morning"

Asuka laughed at her guardian's predicament, knowing full well that there was nothing Misato hated more than paperwork. Well, maybe lack of beer, but paperwork would come as a close second.

"Hey Shinji, why the long face?" Misato asked with a concerned frown "You haven't said a word since we left NERV. Surely you don't mind Asuka sitting on the front that much, do you?"

"Huh? Oh, no, Misato, that's okay," Shinji said.

Misato's frown deepened at his words. It bothered her to no end to watch Shinji build a shell around himself, and seeing how he tended to blame himself for everything that happened. She did want to help him, but she could only do so much. There was little to do if Shinji refused every kind of contact, and besides she would have to leave for NERV soon. There was no point in forcing a conversation now.

Shinji resumed staring out of the window. He had many things on his mind.

'Asuka could have died today... she would have died if it hadn't been by me disobeying orders. They would have let her die, and if she failed they would have bombed the entire place too. We are expendable to them... they ask us to die for them, but they are ready to kill us if need be... Father. Even after all this time, am I nothing to you? Even if I do what you want me to do, am I still a simple pawn to you?'

.

"Asuka, dinner's ready!" Shinji called for his fiery roommate. The German girl didn't need to hear it twice, happily rushing to the table. But she stopped when she saw the table arrangements.

"You haven't served anything for yourself," the redhead noted "You're not going to eat tonight?"

"Uhmm, no" Shinji said scratching his head "I'll go out for a while tonight. I'll be back by ten, I think"

"You think?" Asuka asked, putting her hands on her hips "Where are you going anyway? Trying to score with some slut maybe? Perhaps with that doll Ayanami?"

"I-it's nothing like that!" Shinji defended with a blush "I just need to think, that's all"

"Humph, more like sulk if you ask me," Asuka grunted while taking a seat "Whatever, do what you want idiot, but don't blame me if you get raped or kidnapped"

* * *

"The time remaining to us is short"

Commander Gendo Ikari was standing in one of the EVA cages, just in front of Unit 01. Cleaned just a few hours ago, the behemoth looked just like always. The demonic visage of the purple EVA would have scared almost anyone out of his wits, but to the Commander that sight represented love and salvation.

"And now we have Adam in our power as well. We don't need SEELE anymore to complete our scenario," Ikari said, looking at the purple behemoth right in the eye.

"We are already at the time of the trials" the Commander continued "After fifteen years of waiting. Wait a little longer, Yui"

Commander Ikari raised his right hand. The embryo of Adam was located in there, in the safest of all places.

Or so the commander thought. Because, unbeknown to him, Shalashaska was nearby, hidden in the shadows of the vast chamber, and he had seen the embryo of the First Angel in the commander's hand.

'You are right, Commander' Ocelot thought with a dark grin. 'The time you have left is short indeed'

* * *

Night had fallen upon Tokyo 3. The people continued their lives, unaware of the battle that had taken place, unaware of how close one of the defenders had come to dying. Shinji wandered trough the streets in silence. He hadn't returned home at ten like he had promised, nor as eleven, and soon midnight would go that way too. He had to think. He had wondered about the possibility of visiting going to the Geo Front, but there was no use in that place for him now.

His feet guided him towards Lake Ashino, close to the place when he and Asuka had first fought the Seventh Angel. There was a nice, lit place where he could sit and see the lake and some of the stars. Shinji sat and remained silent for a very long time, his mind hopelessly lost; he couldn't come to terms with what had transpired today.

"You okay over there, kid?" a deep, hoarse voice asked.

Shinji didn't respond. More than ever, he wanted to be alone. Life looked fickle now, after watching Asuka sink deeper and deeper towards her doom with that weird calm look on her face. But the stranger only got closer. Shinji looked up and saw a tall, muscular American man. He looked about fifty years old, with dark brown hair that was starting to show some grey streaks.

"You are Shinji Ikari," the man said "It's a pleasure to meet you"

"Who are you?" Shinji asked lowly. It was still strange to him to be recognized by people from time to time.

"You can call me Pliskin," the man said "Iroquois Pliskin"

Shinji shifted uncomfortably and shifted his gaze elsewhere. He never knew how to act around people, much less a complete stranger. Besides, small talk wasn't exactly his best ability.

Pliskin regarded Shinji in contemplative silence. Seeing the kid made him recall that same lost look rookies would get once they were first thrown in the battlefield; the eyes of a person that desperately looked for some reassurance of some sort, of something that helped them cope with the stress of a life in battle.

"You know, kid, thinking things over and over again will get you nowhere," Pliskin said finally. Shinji turned to look at him.

"There's nothing else for me to do," he finally said, still wondering why he was saying this to a man he had just met. But there was something about Pliskin that made him feel oddly at ease, as if somehow the confident demeanour the man displayed could be imprinted in him too "I can't go on like this, not anymore. Not if we are about to die for nothing."

"I've been in war since I was a teenager just like you," Pliskin said slowly, lighting up a cigarette and missing the shocked look on Shinji's face "And I can tell you that as long as we live there's no such thing as death for nothing. We are still alive. We're still fighting. There's always another reason to keep on living. You have to believe. As long as you believe with all your heart, then you will succeed."

"They don't tell us what to believe." Shinji muttered lowly, his eyes shining with anger "They just send us to die for no reason at all. They are ready to kill us for nothing. What should I believe in if they are ready to do that?"

Pliskin sighed. He had heard that line of questioning so many times that it had become tiresome. Raiden had been like that in his first mission, and Pliskin himself had wondered about the same things during his first years in the battlefield, three decades ago.

"That's up to you," Pliskin said simply, as in the end it was that simple of an answer. "No one can tell another what to believe; that question has to be answered from within yourself"

Shinji thought about Pliskin's words. They did make sense, a lot of sense actually. Misato and others had said many times that he should feel proud of his job as a pilot, but their words didn't make him feel that way. Beliefs, it seemed, worked the same way. Shinji thought about today, about what he could find to believe in, what could drive him onwards during this time, easily the worst of his life. He then recalled the events of the battle.

"Do you believe in love on the battlefield?"

Pliskin threw him a weird look, as if lost in thought at Shinji's words.

"Yes. But if you love someone, you also have to be able to protect them."

.

_Unit 01's hand grabbed Unit 02's wrist with a strong grip, fierce determination coming from the pilot within the purple mecha._

_"Idiot," Asuka said softly "You show off"_

.

Could it be that way? Even for him? Shinji looked at Pliskin. The man was smoking calmly, eyeing the scenery with a thoughtful look. Shinji couldn't help but ask; he wanted to see what other motives were behind other people's actions, he wanted to see what reason Pliskin had to keep fighting for so long.

"What do you fight for?"

Pliskin turned his head and regarded Shinji in silence. Shinji blushed embarrassedly and avoided Pliskin's gaze. He had screwed up, he knew it. He should have kept his mouth shut.

"A future. You can stop being a part of a mistake, starting now..." Pliskin said reflexively. He tossed his cigarette away, the small cylinder getting lost in the darkness in the blink of an eye "We can tell other people about - having faith. What we had faith in. What we found important enough to fight for. It's not whether you were right or wrong, but how much faith you were willing to have, that decides the future."

Pliskin sighed, and there was silence for some time. Shinji was deep in thought about what he had heard; such selfless words made him feel bad in comparison, as he had been thinking of himself ever since he came to the city. Pliskin saw his downcast face and spoke again.

"Find something to believe in. And find it for yourself. And when you do, pass it on to the future. Choose your own legacy. It's up to you."

Shinji raised his head and looked at the middle aged man. Yes, he knew Pliskin was right. Now wasn't the time to sulk anymore. He had to stand by himself; he had to find something to call his own. A place in the world, a place to call his.

"Growing up means you have to decide what to do with your life. Whatever you choose, whatever you believe in, stick by it. Prove your loyalty to yourself."

* * *

Asuka Langley Soryu was upset.

Tailing Shinji had been fairly easy, as the boy had been walking slowly without paying close attention to anything in particular. Asuka had followed him from a few blocks distance, close enough to keep him in sight but far enough not to raise suspicion or let him hear her. But that plan had backfired when she lost sight of Shinji at one particularly dark street and found herself unable to spot him again. Asuka had walked for almost an hour looking for him, and now it was becoming really late. It was almost eleven after all.

'That moron' Asuka sighed mentally 'Figures, he saves my life risking his own and disobeying orders and now he sulks around just like always. It's like he is depressed for saving me, for God's sake'

But Asuka wasn't about to let that line of thinking get the better of her. Depressing as he was, Shinji had saved her life today, and she wasn't going to let him leave and get depressed after doing such a brave thing. Asuka didn't like to be in anyone's debt, and now she would try everything in her hand to repay Shinji for his actions. If that included saving him from himself, then so be it.

Asuka cursed under her breath and considered the possibility of returning home. It was very late, and Shinji might have decided to return to the apartment as well.

Somehow her steps had brought her to the shore where she and Shinji had their first battle against the Seventh Angel. Asuka sighed and approached the place. It was a nice night after all, and since she was here she could watch the sight a bit. Having made up her mind, Asuka walked to the shore. But then she saw something that made her stop.

Two figures were already there, absorbed in what seemed an engaging conversation. Asuka looked more closely. One of them was an adult, but the other one was definitely a teenager. What made Asuka stop was that she had seen that said teenager was none other than Shinji.

But then the man that was addressing Shinji turned around and started to walk away, leaving Shinji lost in thought behind him. Asuka didn't exactly know why, but she suddenly found herself growing angry. She had been worrying over the idiot while here he was, talking to strangers? Haven't he gotten the message when Misato said that they could be potential targets to other parties? Making up her mind, Asuka walked briskly toward the unaware boy.

"Shinji!" Asuka said. Shinji nearly jumped out of his pants and turned around to give her a rather nervous look. Ahead of them, the man turned around just a bit, throwing them a side glance.

Asuka stared at the man, eyeing him intently. Her face quickly lost its frown to gain a look of complete surprise 'No, it can't be... what are the odds to find him here of all places?'

But there he was, just as Asuka remembered him. The stubble, the dark brown hair, the clear blue eyes, the harsh looking face, the silent walking... it couldn't be, but there it was. Asuka was staring at the retreating form of the legendary Solid Snake.

She couldn't help but remember her time in Berlin, training to become the best EVA pilot. She had been tutored by many instructors during that time, one of them being a former member of the world's best secret Special Forces Unit, FOXHOUND. His name was George Kasler, and he had served in the unit before Liquid Snake took command. Being in charge of teaching Asuka tactics and military history, he had told her a lot about Big Boss' and Solid Snake's doings in their time, as Asuka always found herself fascinated by those stories; she saw herself as the new generation of heroes, much like Big Boss and Snake had been. And of course, she would never forget the time she first saw the legendary Snake, just for one day, years ago... the day he had saved her.

"Mein Gott..." Asuka could only stutter, her eyes as big as saucers. By now the mysterious man had disappeared.

"Um... Asuka, are you okay?" Shinji asked rather worriedly. He had been expecting something along the lines of a lecture or a plain beating, but not this.

"Shinji, I can't believe you were talking to him..." Asuka muttered in surprise, now turning to look at her fellow pilot. Seeing the blank look on his face, Asuka got enraged again "What's wrong with you, idiot!? You mean to tell me you didn't recognize him!?"

"What!? What are you talking about, Asuka?" Shinji asked, thrown completely off guard by Asuka's outburst.

"Dummkopf! I can't believe this! Don't you know anything about history at all!?" there was times which Asuka wondered just how many things were wrong with the Japanese educational system. Sighing and trying to calm herself before she delivered a hard slap or something worse, Asuka straightened herself and regarded Shinji with intense eyes "Shinji, that was Solid Snake you were talking to"

.

"Damnit, this isn't what I signed up for!" Misato Katsuragi blurted out in exasperation. She had been busy with this damned paperwork and still the pile in front of her looked exactly as big as when she had begun "When will those idiots understand that if we don't fight the Angels we will all die!"

It was in the middle of her growling when her cell phone started to ring. Misato took it out and saw that the call came from Asuka.

"Asuka, this better be important," the Captain said, her mood not exactly fit to deal with some silly tantrums or accusations of perverseness from Shinji.

"It is, you idiot!" Asuka answered angrily "Idiot Shinji here left the apartment about three hours ago. I just found him after searching the entire city for him!"

"Is he alright!?" Misato asked quickly, her bad mood forgotten "He wasn't trying to run away, was he?"

"No, he wasn't," Asuka said with a tone both angry and tired "He is fine. Misato, that's not what I called you for. Shinji was talking with someone when I found him"

"With whom? Rei?" Misato's teasing side couldn't help but intervene.

"It was Solid Snake"

Several seconds of silence followed this.

"...You can't be serious"

"Does it sound like I'm kidding?"

"Asuka, Solid Snake is one of the most wanted fugitives on the planet," Misato said soberly "Are you positively sure it was him?"

"Who do you take me for, Misato, an uncultured idiot!?" Asuka finally snapped "I'm telling you it was him! I've read a lot about him, and I've seen plenty of pictures too! It was Solid Snake, Misato, and he was talking to Shinji just a few minutes ago!"

Misato took a few seconds to answer "Okay," she said, as if making up her mind "Okay," and now her voice gained that commanding tone she tended to use during the battles against the Angels "Asuka, you stay with Shinji. Stay right where you are. I'm sure Section 2 is close by; I'll order them to bring you two to the Geo Front immediately. We can't take any chances; if Solid Snake is here then it could mean a potential threat to NERV. Stay right where you are, Asuka, Section 2 is on its way"

.

Misato didn't waste any time. She quickly called the head of Section 2 and informed him of the situation. To their credit, Section 2 did answer swiftly this time: a van had picked the children up in a matter of minutes. Misato ordered a search in Tokyo 3 for possible terrorists cells - she quickly donned a bulletproof vest to lead the search herself - , but even she realized that Section 2 was simply too small for that. They were a Secret Service of sorts, not the army. But Misato then had a sudden idea; she quickly left Section 2's captain office and made her way to Central Dogma. There was someone who could help searching for terrorists.

Misato was walking hastily when she found one of the bridge bunnies - and one of many men helplessly love struck by her beauty - Makoto Hyuoga.

"Makoto! Good thing that I found you here," Misato said, stopping in front of the man.

"Did the Second Child see Solid Snake in the city?" Makoto said before he could help himself. Having been a military otaku for some time did make him susceptible to the thought of being in the same city as the legendary warrior.

"Apparently she did. Section 2 is already bringing her and Shinji here," Misato informed her subordinate. She then adopted a more pressing tone "Listen, we may need to call for the UN's assistance. Do you know where inspector Shalashaska is?"

"He went down to the lower floors of Central Dogma," Makoto said dubiously "He was heading to the labs, I think"

Misato didn't stand there. She was out for the labs as soon as Makoto talked. If Shalashaska had been an agent during the Cold War, she was sure he could at least help NERV get some UN support to search Tokyo 3 and find any possible terrorists.

She was nearing the lower level laboratories when a faint thought entered her mind. Shalashaska... she knew she had heard the name before, but she didn't know from where. But now things seemed to make more sense somehow 'Shalashaska... and Solid Snake' the Captain thought 'weren't those names related somehow?'

As she descended in an elevator, Misato realized that she could easily confirm her suspicions. She got out her cell phone and dialled Asuka's number.

"Misato?" the redhead said through the phone a few seconds later.

"You and Shinji all right, Asuka?" Misato inquired.

"Yeah, yeah," Asuka said tiredly "We are about to enter the Geo Front. What is it, Misato?

"Asuka, you said you've read a lot about Solid Snake, right?"

"Yeah, one of my instructors in Germany was a former member of FOXHOUND" Misato, face lit up at Asuka's words. If there was some way to ease her thoughts quickly, this was it.

"Does the name Shalashaska sound familiar to you?"

"Of course. Shalashaska was one of Revolver Ocelot's aliases" Asuka said instantly "He said so himself in Shadow Moses, when he tortured Solid Snake"

Asuka didn't get further words from Misato. The Captain had hung up.

* * *

Shalashaska was walking through some of the inferior levels of Central Dogma. He already knew the things that he was sent to find out, but he still had decided to search a little better. Perhaps he would find something important down here. Gendo Ikari was exactly the kind of men who kept dirty secrets from everyone, even his own staff. He was now in a corridor with doors at both sides. But he paid no heed to said doors, walking even further down. Finally he entered a big laboratory filled with glasses, chemicals and computers. It reminded him of the Human Genome research labs.

But that was not meant to be. For he could hear footsteps coming his way. A woman, he was sure. Shalashaska waited and pretended innocence.

"You, wait right there" the woman said. Captain Misato Katsuragi, Shalashaska had no doubt "Put your hands right where I can see them"

"My, my, quite a night we are having, aren't we, Captain Katsuragi?" Shalashaska scoffed while turning slowly to the purple haired woman.

Misato didn't waste time. She pulled out her Heckler & Koch USP pistol in one second, aiming straight at Shalashaska. The man didn't even flinch. He only threw Misato a sharp look. Misato would have been very nervous in a normal situation - you didn't face a FOXHOUND operative everyday - but she was now in full combat mode. She wouldn't allow herself any hesitation.

"I said put your hands were I can see them, right now" Misato ordered coldly.

"You dare to threaten the UN's official inspector?" Ocelot said with a wicked smirk.

"That's bullshit," Misato countered "You are not who you pretend to be, Shalashaska. Or should I say Revolver Ocelot?"

"Ah, my reputation precedes me, I see" Ocelot grinned, and his eyes shone with coldness "Then you must be very brave to come here all by yourself, Major. Either that, or you are very stupid"

"You think you'll scare me, you bastard?" Misato mocked. She was a fully trained military officer, after all. It took more than an old man to frighten her "What are you intending to do here, kidnap the Children? You monster"

"Tisk, tisk, Captain" Ocelot said, never losing his smirk "Such language isn't appropriate of such a fine woman as yourself. I would watch before deciding who is to be called monster here. After all, you are the one who's working for Gendo Ikari"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Misato said "If you think you are getting out of this by talking, then you are sadly mistaken"

"So, you don't know then" Ocelot said "Come on, Captain, surely a woman of your military prowess has realized by now that NERV is keeping many secrets from you. What about the Angel Commander Ikari keeps in Terminal Dogma? And many other secrets you can't begin to imagine. Whether you like it or not, Captain, I'm one of the good guys here"

"That's bullshit," Misato repeated. Yet she couldn't help but wonder what the hell Ocelot had meant about an Angel in Terminal Dogma. Steeling her resolve, Misato decided to take care of the matter at hand "You are a wanted terrorist and I'm going to turn you in right now"

"I admit that I'm a terrorist," Ocelot conceded "But don't you concern about me. Big Boss is alive again, and soon he will end this madness of NERV and SEELE. And you, Captain, you should really keep your guard up while talking to me"

Misato couldn't believe what she had heard. Big Boss was alive? Being a military woman, she had heard all kind of tales in her youth about the legends of Outer Heaven and FOXHOUND, hearing the tales of men like Big Boss and Solid Snake. But Big Boss should be dead, she thought. He had died in 1999.

That instant of confusion in her mind was all Ocelot needed. With hands fast as lighting, he pulled a Revolver out of nowhere and shot twice.

Misato reacted faster than she would have ever believed. Acting on instinct alone, she jumped aside and rolled behind a large table filled with bottles and chemicals. Ocelot fired twice, but even he had been surprised at the impossibly fast leap Misato had performed. Cursing himself for his own foolishness, Ocelot took cover behind a column nearby and prepared himself for battle. Behind the table, Misato readied her USP .45 Caliber Pistol and prepared for the toughest battle of her life.

"Well well, that wasn't bad at all," Ocelot taunted her "It's been a while since someone dodged my surprise attack. You are pretty good, Captain"

Misato readied herself and opened fire quickly, trying to overpower Ocelot. He only had four bullets loaded, which gave her the advantage when it came to firepower. But Ocelot remained calm under her fire, as if he wasn't concerned in the least even in such a tense situation.

Misato made an effort to remember everything she knew about Revolver Ocelot. Solid Snake's duels with him were legendary, and there were many tales about them. Misato had read the files about Shadow Moses, when Snake and Ocelot fought for the first time; those files said that Ocelot had a knack for using his revolver to bomb his opponent, shooting a barrage of bullets that were almost impossible to dodge. Knowing that fact, Misato prepared herself, sharpening her resolve and reflexes to the limit: the only way to escape from such a technique was to be ready beforehand.

ocelot got out of cover and took aim in milliseconds, so fast that Misato couldn't even shoot once. He then opened fire, and soon Misato found herself surrounded by a storm of bullets; still, Misato had been ready for this, and when she saw what Ocelot intended to do she jumped aside again, getting to cover once more. Misato felt the adrenaline pumping through her veins; those files about FOXHOUND she had read during her time in the academy had saved her life.

Now Ocelot's revolver was empty. Seeing her chance, Misato got out of cover and aimed at the last spot Ocelot had been. But the old man was nowhere to be found.

'He can't be that fast!' Misato thought, standing up and looking for the FOXHOUND operative. Getting to the northern end of the lab, Misato opened the door and got out, quickly checking her surroundings. She was in a small corridor now, that served to separate the lab she had left from another one in front of her. The northern laboratory was in shade, the light having been switched off. Knowing that staying in the open like this was suicide, Misato entered the dimly lit northern lab and, sure enough, she found Ocelot there, who was calmly reloading his revolver.

Misato opened fire, but Ocelot quickly dodged and disappeared from sight. Still, Misato could hear his sadistic chuckles.

"Reloading during battle..." ocelot said from the shadows "It's so exhilarating..."

Misato tried to spot Ocelot, but to no avail. The old man was nowhere to be seen, hidden in the dark as he was right now. But Misato could still hear his voice.

"You see, Captain, there are six chambers in this revolver, which each one holding a .45 caliber bullet, and each bullet holds something else. Do you know what it is that they hold, Miss Katsuragi?"

Ocelot's boots clicked against the floor, pointing his position several feet to the right of where Misato had thought he was. But even as she reacted and pointed her gun over there, Misato realized her mistake. She couldn't see Ocelot because he was in the shade. But Ocelot could see her, and now that he had reloaded he had the advantage again.

"These bullets hold your own death!"

Ocelot opened fire from the darkness, unleashing a hellish storm of gunfire upon the unprotected Misato. The Captain's mind, sharp as ever, recognized what he was doing. Ocelot was using a technique called 'fanning', pushing the hammer on the rear of the gun back after each shot. This allowed him to get off more shots at a time that was ever intended for the revolver, turning his weapon into a deadly machinegun of sorts.

Unable to react fast enough, Misato was hit in the chest. Letting out a pained gasp, the NERV Captain stumbled and fell to the ground, hissing in pain. She silently thanked heaven that she had donned a bulletproof vest. That was the second time her previous preparation saved her life against Ocelot.

Misato scrambled to her feet and rushed to get some cover while realizing a very disturbing fact: Ocelot hadn't emptied his gun. He had fired five times, which left him one last bullet to spare. And now she had turned her back on him.

Hearing the clack of Ocelot's boots behind her, Misato knew she only had one chance: she quickly turned around and opened fire while jumping backwards, not caring about taking aim. She was using 'blindfire', a technique meant to force an enemy into defense instead of hurting him. She reacted just in time: she heard Ocelot's surprised yell at her sudden move, and his shot missed her head - Ocelot had learned about her vest by then - by a few millimetres.

"Hahahahaha! Excellent!" Ocelot said, taking cover behind some lockers nearby. He started reloading again, sniffing the air "I love the smell of cordite... you know, that sulphury smell..."

Misato reloaded and opened fire. She missed, since Ocelot was covered, but then something caught her eye. Grinning, the Captain made a plan; should this work, Ocelot would be beaten.

Bang! Misato fired right above ocelot, just at a pipe with steaming air. Ocelot was caught by surprise, and yelling in pain at being burned by the hot air, he dropped his guard just enough for Misato to attack again without fear of retaliation. This time Misato targeted several bottles and glasses in a table next to Ocelot, and the sharp glasses flew and hit the FOXHOUND commando. Ocelot yelled in pain and dropped his guard. Misato took aim and fired, hitting him straight at the chest.

"Ugh!" Ocelot gasped, looking at Misato with shock in his eyes. Misato almost smirked 'You didn't see that one coming, did you?' Ocelot's hands dropped slowly...

Only to be raised again in a mere instant, out speeding Misato and pointing his revolver straight at her head. Ocelot was wearing armor as well. Misato barely had time to throw herself to the ground, Ocelot's bullet scratching her right cheek and leaving a small cut. Misato tried to get cover as fast as possible, but it was then that Ocelot used his best technique: ricochet fire. Ocelot took aim and fired twice, the bullets hitting the wall in front of Misato and then rebounding back to her.

Twice Misato was hit, one bullet hitting her right arm and the other scratching her right thigh. The Captain screamed in pain and drop her USP, the feeling of battle overwhelmed by the intense pain. Yet as she heard Ocelot's footsteps behind her, she realized that she would die if she didn't move right now. So, mustering all her strength, Misato grabbed her handgun with her left hand and made a run for the door, turning her back on Ocelot once more.

Ocelot saw Misato retreat and gave pursue, taking aim one last time. But Misato used blindfire again just when he was about to shoot, once again catching him by surprise and forcing him to take some cover. Misato's aim was precise even while firing wildly.

Misato ran past the corridor and entered the southern lab, dashing for the southern door. Several glasses exploded around her, as Ocelot opened fire from behind her back. Misato hurried even more - her right thigh was injured, but at the time she was so focused and her body so full of adrenaline that she didn't even notice - and got through the door without getting hit.

She was in a corridor now, and for the first time since getting shot Misato felt that she could escape alive. Making a break for it, Misato put all her will into getting to the nearest elevator.

Ocelot was behind her, and the elevator just a few meters straight ahead. Misato ran like hell and jumped inside, hitting buttons randomly and praying for the doors to close.

Too late. Ocelot was standing in the corridor with a sinister grin on his face, pointing his gun at her head. The doors started to close and Misato tried to duck, while Ocelot pulled the trigger. It all happened in the same instant.

The bullet flew right past the left cheek of the falling Misato and bounced on the wall behind her, only to fly back past her right cheek harmlessly. Misato fell to the floor as the doors closed, dulling Ocelot's cries of frustration and taking her to safety...

Panting heavily, Misato reached for her cell phone. She had to call security right now and tell them where Ocelot was. But as she reached for it she saw that the phone was broken, hit by one of Ocelot's bullets. Knowing that she would have to warn security by herself, Misato took off her jacket and tried to make a knot over her injured arm to stop the bleeding.

She fainted a few seconds later.

* * *

A lone figure walked briskly trough NERV's Headquarters dark corridors. It was a tall old man, and he had been discovered a few minutes ago. So he had to get out of NERV as quickly as possible if he wanted to escape; otherwise he would find himself outmatched no matter how good he was at defending himself, outnumbered by NERV's security forces.

The doors were close. Everything was calm. Perhaps Katsuragi hadn't been able to call for security. Perhaps she couldn't activate the alarm. He silently cursed his own stupidity at letting her escape from him, but in fact the Captain had been better than he had expected and had taken him by surprise.

To Shalashaska, this was one of the most exciting parts of the game espionage was in his mind. He had been discovered while in the middle of the enemy's Headquarters; this demanded extreme precision and presence. After all, not everyone here knew that he was a spy. And that thin line he was walking now could be the difference between a free man and a dead one. It didn't matter if he was uncovered now, what mattered was how important he seemed right now. Security still believed he was the UN's inspector after all.

His card key opened the main doors without any problems. A few armed guards were close, watching the entrance to the base. Shalashaska didn't hide from them; everything was a matter of not dropping his excuse. He walked normally trough them. One of the guards regarded him with a curt nod. Everything was fine.

The radios of the guards sounded. The alarm blazed trough headquarters. And Shalashaska was still close to the doors, not having walked far out yet.

"Freeze!" one of the guards shouted "Under the authority of NERV and the UN, you are under arrest!"

Shalashaska turned around, and found himself facing four armed guards forming a semicircle in front of him, guns ready.

"The authority of NERV?" Shalashaska scoffed "You fools. NERV's time is coming to a close"

"Put your hands over your head now!" said the leader.

Ocelot smirked. It was a lopsided smirk, devoid of any feeling. It wasn't enough to be considered sarcasm. It was the face of death.

"An Ocelot never lets its prey escape"

Four shots rang in the night. Four guards died in that instant. Ocelot blew the smoke coming out the barrel of his revolver and smirked again. He turned around again and left NERV's Headquarters while getting out a small comm. link.

"Yes, it's me, Boss"

"My cover has been lifted"

"Yes, they know"

"Yes, I've found ADAM"

"We'll have to step up our plans"

"I believe using Vamp for that mission would be a good idea"

"EVA Unit 04"

"Yes Boss, I'll stay low for now"

And with that, Revolver Ocelot was out of NERV, disappearing in the shadows of Tokyo 3.

* * *

"Still, I can't believe she duelled Revolver Ocelot," Asuka growled with a very faint trait of admiration in her voice "Was she out of her mind?"

"Sounds like Misato..." Shinji said weakly. While Asuka was simply angry - and a bit awed, though he would never dare to say such thing in her presence - he was still struck by the thought of Misato dying. The woman had always looked so strong to him that he had never wondered about what could happen if she left him. And he couldn't help but feel some guilt within him: if he had been more careful and not talked to Snake, then Misato wouldn't have gone looking for Ocelot and this wouldn't have happened. And then she...

"Shinji!" Asuka shouted while snapping her fingers in front of his face. Shinji raised his head and looked at her in surprise "About time, you idiot! I called you twice already!"

"Sorry," Shinji said automatically. Seeing Asuka frown, he quickly tried to switch topics "What did you want, Asuka?"

"Don't you talk to me that way, you idiot!" Asuka snapped, giving Shinji a rather dangerous glare "Anyway, I was asking you what you talked about with Solid Snake. I mean, even an idiot like you should have heard something interesting, right?"

Much to Asuka's surprise, Shinji didn't cower in fear and avoid her gaze. The boy remained in silence for some time, a thoughtful look on his face. He finally spoke with a reflexive tone.

"I've learned something... I can't fight; I can't live unless I have a real reason to. So I have to find my own reason to fight. I have to pass on what's been handed down to me. I have to find something to believe in"

Shinji's words stuck Asuka as odd. Not the words by themselves, but rather the fact that it was Shinji the one to pronounce them. The most intriguing thing was that Asuka had heard words like that before, during her training in Berlin. She had been taught a lot about the legends from the twentieth century, and Shinji's words resembled the ones of mythical soldiers of that time.

Asuka sighed. She would be the last to admit it, but she felt rather jealous of Shinji. She would have given anything to have a talk with Solid Snake; she wanted to talk with him ever since she had first heard of him...

"Pilot Ikari? Pilot Soryu?" a nurse called them. Asuka and Shinji turned to look at her "Captain Katsuragi is allowed to receive visitors now"

.

.

.

**Author Notes 2:**

Phew, Chapter 2 is finished. It was tougher than I thought it would be. I hope you liked it.

You may have noticed that both Angel battles were quite simple written. That was because they were the same as in the anime, and I simply didn't see the need to write about something already seen. So I just mentioned what matters most and that's that.

As for the battle between Misato and Ocelot, I did a lot of research on revolvers and firing techniques. I tried to portray it at the best of my capacities: Ocelot is far faster than Misato, and very resourceful, but the NERV Captain is a better tactician, and she can plan faster than him. I hope the duel was of your liking, as it was very hard to write.

The next update will come very soon. It's not an actual chapter, but rather a small interlude of a couple thousand words. I think I'll be posting it next week, once I manage to update 'Vengeance'

I've been talking with a few other authors and we are thinking of making a few spin off fics of this one, so I think this story could become really big very soon. So far, this is the best I can do to make this a believable Metal Gear/Evangelion crossover. It will be much better with other's help.

So, thank you for reading, and if it isn't that much of a bother, leave a review and tell me what you think of this.

.

Devil Boss


	4. Interlude

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own any of the characters from the Evangelion and Metal Gear Solid universes; they belong to Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, GAINAX Studios, Hideo Kojima, Shoji Shinkawa, Kojima Productions and Konami Studios.

**Author Notes:**

Hello there! I've been having some problems with my connection lately, which unfortunately kept me from updating as I would have done normally. Now that that's fixed I'll be able to post much faster.

Many thanks to those who reviewed this fic. That's one of the most important things to me, as it encourages me and points me in the right direction as to where to go. My thanks to those of you who added this fic to your Favourites as well. If you like it, leave a comment and tell me what you would like to see. That always helps.

So, this is a very brief interlude. Thing is, I couldn't put this in Chapter 3, so here it goes as a separate update.

**Interlude**

"Well Misato, you were actually very lucky this time," Doctor Ritsuko Akagi said with a faint smile "The wound should heal nicely in a few weeks. Luckily it didn't hit the bone."

Besides her, Misato Katsuragi was flexing her right arm up and down carefully, looking pensively at it.

"You've kept saying that to me for the past week," Misato grunted, albeit a little playfully "But seriously, it is a good thing that I managed to get to the elevator. One more second and that guy would have killed me"

Both women fell silent after that comment. After his lethal encounter with Misato, Shalashaska had gotten away of NERV, killing four other guards on the process. Section hadn't been able to find him after that.

'They lost him right in the middle of Tokyo 3' Misato thought to herself 'No matter how good you are, its impossible to disappear completely from here without help. Someone assisted him in his escape, I'm sure of it' But Misato knew that it was no use to dwell on those thoughts for now. She had more pressing matters to think of.

"So Ritsuko, how did the Children's tests go?" Misato asked her colleague.

"Shinji scored at about 71%, which makes it his personal record," Ritsuko said "Asuka has synched at 77% and Rei at 62%. We feared that Shinji's synch ratio would stop progressing after you were attacked, but apparently he's been in a good mood lately, to put it some way. He's worried about you, but it looks like he's dealing with the situation by himself."

Misato nodded thoughtfully. She had feared that Shinji could get depressed and that his synch ratio would go downwards, but luckily that didn't seem the case. What intrigued her most was how it could be that his synch ratio kept climbing despite his obvious displeasure at being in NERV.

"What do you think Solid Snake was doing in Tokyo 3?" Misato asked the doctor darkly.

"No one has even the slightest idea," Ritsuko said "And I don't like to speculate. Most of the base's personnel think that he was trying to hijack or destroy the EVAs, though. I even found Aoba and some of the technicians making bets about who he would attack first"

"And we couldn't find him, even after Section 2 searched the city twice" Misato grunted "The same with that Shalashaska guy"

"You think they were working together?" Ritsuko asked with curiosity. Even if she tried to hide it, Ritsuko thought that Misato's opinions - when she was sober - were usually quite reasonable. And besides, Misato knew much more than Ritsuko when it came down to espionage and famous military operatives.

"No, I'm almost sure they weren't," Misato said clearly "And not only due to the rivalry between Solid Snake and Revolver Ocelot, but because Snake didn't try to kidnap Shinji at all. He gave him advise as a matter of fact; Shinji told me that himself. I don't think Shalashaska would have done the same if he were in Snake's place. He would have tried to abduct or interrogate him, I'm sure."

* * *

Kaji walked quietly and placed himself just next to the wooden door. He got his right hand inside his jacket, readying his Beretta for a possible fight. It wasn't as if he was expecting one, but preparing for that possibility would cause no harm. Opening the door slowly, Kaji slipped inside. Just as he expected, the shack was empty. Good. He moved forward, getting to the back door. Again he prepared himself, and again he passed through the door.

His informant was here.

It was a middle aged woman with black hair. Not being exceptionally pretty, or tall or curvaceous, she was pretty much a complete average woman. Good thing for a spy.

"Good to see you here," Kaji said as a greeting. He knew the woman had been alerted of his presence even before he arrived.

"You play a dangerous game," the woman said "We met last week. SEELE won't like you driving attention to them. You should stay low for some time."

"Ah well, sometimes I can't help it," Kaji said with a smile, standing at the lady's right "It's just I've heard some very interesting rumours lately, and I wanted to check if you did too."

"So you've been investigating SEELE as well," the woman said "Even if that's not part of your job."

"It's not," Kaji said clearly "Until it starts affecting NERV. Then it becomes my problem as well. So, are you going to tell me why is SEELE planning an attack on NERV?

"They need to," the lady said "They are going to test NERV, and Commander Ikari."

"Test them how, exactly?" Kaji asked with his ever present rogue smile. He was very curious about this; would SEELE send an assassin or something to see how far he made it? Or maybe an attack drill? No, that made no sense; NERV had proven its worth several times already.

"There is one way to deal with powerful organizations such as NERV," the woman said, not looking at him "One old and known way to deal with any powerful foe."

Kaji didn't have to think too hard.

"Cut their resources?"

"Yes. And I will say no more," with that the woman stood up and walked away.

"I wasn't expecting you to."

.

Kaji got in his car while dialling a number on his cell phone. He checked his surroundings and sped off, finally sending a call.

He didn't have to wait long.

"It's me."

"Yes, I learned something that might be of interest to you."

"NERV will be attacked tomorrow. They are going to arrange a blackout in Tokyo 3."

"No way will I be able to pull that off. And it could compromise my cover."

"I checked my info thrice. It's good."

"I'm just a man doing his job."

"Goodbye, Boss."

* * *

A quiet figure sat in the floor of a dark room. It was calmly checking a blade and some other items nearby.

A comm. link beeped and the figure stood up, leaving the dark room and walking through some corridors. He had been summoned by his Commander.

Gray Fox was not a normal person. In fact, there were plenty of people which actually wouldn't call him human to begin with. Some would say he was an animal, others a machine, and some others would say that he was a ghost. In Fox's opinion, he was neither, as he was the three all together. He no longer had a normal body, as he only had an exoesqueleton to move. The only things remaining from his original body were his head and his spine; the rest was entirely cybernetic. His new exoesqueleton suit was tinted black at the torso and light brown at the limbs, and it made him incredibly powerful, giving him the ability to dodge bullets or to punch through walls. But of course, that came with the price of losing his humanity. Or the fact that only him and one other subject had survived the procedure of installing the suit.

But Fox didn't have time to ponder on such thoughts. He passed through a door and entered a big room with a desk at the end. Next to the desk there was a grand window, and next to the window stood Big Boss.

Fox stopped a few feet away from his mentor. Big Boss turned around and faced him in silence for a few seconds. Neither man moved.

"Gray Fox," Big Boss said "I have a task for you"

Fox raised his head at the sight of his commander. To him, Big Boss meant everything. The legendary man who had freed him several times of the claws of the Patriots. In Mozambique, when he was a small boy called Frank Yaeger, the frank hunter in German. In the Peninsula de los Muertos, when he was Null, the Perfect soldier and a slave of the Pentagon. And finally, when Big Boss had founded Outer Heaven, giving Gray Fox a purpose in his life.

Fox didn't inquire about the words of Big Boss. He just waited for his commander to continue. Both men knew that he would carry out the task. After all, that's why he was called Fox, a title that was given only to the best agent in the world.

Big Boss threw him a folder with some files. Fox eyed them thoroughly, trying to get as much information as he could about his new mission. The files showed him a middle aged Japanese man. The man was wearing dark glasses and a dark jacket; he looked like an important person.

"His name is Gendo Ikari" Big Boss said "And he is the Commander of NERV in Japan. He is located deep within the Geo Front, which would make this mission almost impossible if it weren't because of one advantage we will have tomorrow."

"Capture?" Fox asked curtly. He didn't need to regard Big Boss formally. They knew that Fox would die for Big Boss, and to the commander Fox was almost like an adopted child.

"No," Big Boss said simply.

.

.

.

**Author Notes 2:**

I hope you liked it. It doesn't really tell much, save for working as a connection between chapters. Unlike this one, next chapter will be very big, at least as much as Chapter 2, and it will involve plenty of action. I'll have it ready as soon as possible, but it'll take me a while. Mostly because I'm completing the third chapter of Vengeance as of now. I suppose it could be ready in two weeks.

So, my heartfelt thanks for reading. It means a lot to me.

Devil Boss


	5. Shatterpoint

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own any of the characters from the Evangelion and Metal Gear Solid universes; they belong to Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, GAINAX Studios, Hideo Kojima, Shoji Shinkawa, Kojima Productions and Konami Studios.

**Author Notes:**

First of all, it seems that I owe you an apology for taking so long to update. My Internet connection died for some months, and on top of that I lost many files, the previous version of this chapter included. That was really bad for my morale. I got my connection back last month, and started writing again ever since. Here's the result.

Many thanks to those of you who have reviewed and added this fic to your favourites list. Any mistakes you'd like to point, tell me and I'll be happy to correct them; the same goes for anything you'd like to see.

So, this is the point where the plot finally speeds up. Now things will get far more violent and full of action. This chapter is still huge, even after I cut everything I could from it. But I knew it would be this way from the very beginning: that's why I wrote a small interlude before this one. That way I could make it a little shorter and easier to read.

As of now, my good fellow Iraesmaster is already writing a spin off for this fic, dealing with what happens with many of the MGS and EVA characters that I left aside in this fic. If you have any ideas or suggestions, send me a private message and we'll discuss them.

.

.

**Chapter 3: Shatterpoint**

.

"I was told to tell my parent that a career guidance interview will take place," Shinji said, holding the phone with his right hand and clenching and unclenching his left one.

"I've entrusted Captain Katsuragi with those things," Shinji's father, Gendo Ikari, said coldly "Don't call me for such trivial things. Don't make a call like this again." Gendo hung up then, not bothering himself with Shinji anymore.

Shinji sighed. Talking to his father always drained him. He seemed to know exactly what to do to crush him.

"Are you done, Shinji?" Asuka asked from behind his back. Shinji turned around and saw her standing with her hands on her hips "If you are done, let's go already, idiot!" Asuka commanded him "Didn't you want to find Wondergirl so we could go to the Geo Front together?"

Shinji nodded and then he and his fellow pilot walked away.

* * *

This was one of the strangest missions Fox had done in some time. He was a military commando, not an agent under cover. He had lost the chance to blend in with the civilians when he got his exoesqueleton installed. No one would think that the perfect soldier would need to look normal in any case.

But Fox would have loved that right now. Because he was on his way to the Geo Front and that meant a problem, considering that the entrance to the underground complex was in the middle of Tokyo 3. His terrifying appearance would have caused complete mayhem in the streets, so he had to jump from one rooftop to the other, or use every single hiding spot he could find to avoid detection; not by enemies, but by civilians.

Fox moved on. He jumped from one rooftop to another one about thirty feet away. He was about ninety feet above ground, which meant that a fall would possibly kill him, even with his new enhanced exoesqueleton. But he had no time to ponder those thoughts. He was jumping again - this time he would land more smoothly, as his new objective was a few dozen feet below - when something caught his eye.

'Those kids...'

Fox landed swiftly and took a closer look. Yes. There were two teenagers on the streets below him, two kids that looked familiar.

Fox had learned everything he could about NERV after receiving his orders from Big Boss. The pilots' known information as well. And he had seen a few pictures of them in the scant reports he had found. It was those pictures that made him stop right now; the two kids he was seeing were very similar to the images he had seen. And there was one more thing to consider, even if only to narrow possibilities: there weren't many redheads in Japan. Finding a teenage redhead that resembled Asuka Soryu with a teenage boy that looked like Shinji Ikari did deserve some attention.

Fox watched them closely and used his enhanced senses to listen to what they were saying.

"Tell me again idiot, why do we have to walk to the tests with the doll, huh?" the redhead was saying "It's not like she would care if we don't."

Fox felt like cursing. That damned brat hadn't used anyone's name, making her words useless to him. But he resolved to be patient and wait for the boy to answer, in hope that he would be more useful.

"Rei is not a doll, Asuka;" the boy said "She is a good person deep down. Besides, we walk together to NERV ever since the battle with the Fifth Angel."

Perfect. Fox now knew everything he needed to know. So these were the famous EVA pilots. Looking at them, Fox couldn't help to think how small they were. True, he had been a child soldier himself, but still...

The children went into an alley, the redhead claiming something about a shortcut. As they got into the alley, Fox realized this was his chance. The children represented a danger to him and Big Boss; they piloted the most powerful weapons the world had ever seen. They were completely unprotected now, and Fox was ready. He could take them out right now, and no one would ever know it.

"This is Gray Fox," the Ninja said to his main base "I've identified Asuka Langley Soryu and Shinji Ikari on the streets. Proceeding with termination of the subjects," he then readied himself and jumped to the ground.

Fox landed right before them.

Both Shinji and Asuka stopped immediately. This creature had stopped right in front of them after a forty feet fall, and it didn't seem hurt in the slightest. His mere appearance was terrifying. It had the shape of a male, but it didn't look human. He looked like a machine, with an armoured black torso and light brown mechanic legs. He was wielding a blade that resembled a Katana. Such was his appearance that he could have been easily mistaken from a creature came from hell itself.

The young Ikari got exactly the same feeling he had when he fought in his EVA for the first time.

Despair. Fear. Anguish. Utter terror.

"No..." Asuka muttered, shock all over her face. She recognized the creature in front of her. She had read all the files from FOXHOUND after Misato's fight with Ocelot, just to learn a bit more about them... Asuka recognized the Cyborg Ninja now and worst yet, she recalled what the Ninja tended to do when hunting someone. Asuka reacted quickly.

"Shinji, run!" Asuka shouted. She didn't wait to get a response. Grabbing Shinji's arm, Asuka pulled and ran like hell, trying to get as far from the Ninja as possible. Shinji caught up with her and soon they were running as fast as they could the way they had come from, trying to get to the streets and hoping for Section 2 to find them.

A shape passed over their heads, so fast that neither of them could identify it, and suddenly the Ninja was standing in front of them again. It had jumped over them in a few seconds.

Trying to stop in place after a brief sprint, Asuka lost her balance and fell to the floor. Shinji didn't, and he stood between the Ninja and the German pilot with a terrified look on his face.

Fox walked briskly towards them. It was time to end this.

"Fox," Big Boss interrupted via codec, coming in for the first time. He had been busy during Fox's mission, and it was obvious that he had been told about Fox's finding of the children through his own personal channels "Don't kill them. We might have a use for them in the future. Just sedate them and head to the Geo Front. The power will be cut soon."

The communication was cut and Fox was left in silence. Orders were orders, and he wouldn't disobey them. So he stopped and lowered his sword.

Shinji and Asuka remained very quiet. Asuka stood up and placed herself slightly behind Shinji grabbing his arm with a strong grip, her eyes glued to the figure in front of them. The alley was deathly calm.

Neither she nor Shinji had time to react to the darts fired their way. They didn't even see them. Soon their vision became fuzzy and they fell to the ground, unconscious.

Fox lowered his Mk22 tranquilizer pistol and regarded the children in silence. They wouldn't wake up for at least fifteen minutes, and he would be at NERV by then. And the children would never be able to enter the Geo Front without power.

And then Fox simply jumped out the place and ran away, disappearing in a matter of seconds.

* * *

"What the...?

"A blackout?"

Inside their apartment, Solid Snake and Hal Emmerich - also known as Otacon - looked at each other in suspicion. Snake moved to the closest window and realized that it was indeed a blackout. Not even the traffic lights were working.

"Looks like there's a blackout in the entire city..." Snake said dubiously.

Otacon was having the same thoughts.

"A blackout on Tokyo 3?" the otaku asked "Snake, this is a city designed to fight the Angels. It's a fortress. You just can't have a blackout here, not with all the backup systems NERV must have installed."

"You think it was sabotage then?"

"I can't think of anything else..." Otacon said thoughtfully, his face turning grim "Something is very wrong here."

Snake said nothing, but Otacon knew what he was thinking. Sabotage on NERV had to be performed by a very powerful foe, a foe that possibly Philanthropy shared with NERV. It could either be SEELE or Ocelot. Neither was a promising prospect. Suddenly Otacon felt a little better when recalling than Snake kept all his guns clean and ready to be used.

"This is the Third District Japan Air Self-Defence Force," a voice was heard over the apartment and the city. It came from an airplane that belonged to the JSSDF "An unidentified object is currently approaching this area. Residents, please go to your designated shelters as soon as possible!"

"Wha..." Otacon and Snake exchanged a worried look. This was something neither of them had anticipated "An Angel..."

"Otacon, is there any way for NERV to know about this Angel right now?" Snake asked abruptly, giving his friend a sharp glance. Neither of them had much experience in the city; NERV's procedures were unknown to them.

"Well, no... I don't think so," Otacon hesitated, trying to think of what NERV could do right now. He had tried to get as much intelligence of them as he could, but getting to know NERV's security measures was way too complicated for him to learn in a few weeks "Without any power, I doubt they can even get out of the Geo Front. If an Angel attacks them now, they'll be defenseless..."

Snake looked at him for a few seconds before going to his room. He came back with a crate containing his weapons and sneaking suit. Opening the crate, he got out a few handguns and some of his heaviest weapons.

"Snake, you can't..." Otacon was speechless.

"Otacon, without power, not only NERV is defenceless. Everyone is," Snake said grimly with cold resolve "I'm sure NERV will react in time, but we have to help them as much as we can, especially considering that Ocelot is likely to be behind this blackout. You better head to the nearest shelter; I'll see what I can do to help NERV now."

Otacon simply disagreed with his friend's plan. 'Disagreed,' of course, being a complete understatement. There were so many things wrong with Snake's idea that he had a hard time deciding which one to point out first.

"Snake, if NERV doesn't respond to the threat, then the JSSDF will blow the city up!" Otacon blurted out at last, trying to reason with his comrade "If you go out there, you'll be caught on the blast and killed!"

"They know that if they use a nuke everyone in the city will die. The JSSDF will wait as long as they can. I have to give NERV time to stop the Angel by itself!"

"No, Snake! There's no way you'll be able to destroy it! The Angels are far more powerful than any Metal Gear to date!"

"Then I'll get burnt to a crisp. But I can't just sit here and let the world be destroyed!"

Otacon knew then that there was nothing he could say to change his Snake's mind. Once the man decided to do something, there was no stopping him. The otaku wished fervently that he could do something useful right now. He had seen Snake face unbelievable odds before and come out victorious, but this was downright suicidal. Snake's best weapon was his Stinger missile launcher. Against an Angel, that was as good as a needle.

"I... I wish there was something I could do right now..." Otacon finally muttered sadly.

"There is," Snake said "You can go to a shelter and help me through the codec. Any information you have on NERV and the Angels will come in handy. Stay hidden and give me as much Intel as you can."

"Snake..." Otacon faced the man, once again feeling admired at his courage "O-Okay..."

Both men shook hands and soon left the apartment, ready to fight an impossible battle.

* * *

'Strange,' Rei Ayanami thought.

None of the facilities worked. She hadn't been able to enter through the main gates, nor the other corridors. The most logical conclusion was that something had happened below, down in the Geo Front. Rei decided to contact them as soon as possible, but she quickly found out that the lines were dead as well, even the emergency ones.

Getting out her emergency manual, Rei decided to get to Headquarters. Route 07 was the nearest way in.

* * *

The train station. Good. That was a good way in for Gray Fox. Energy had been cut in Tokyo 3 some minutes earlier, so that ruled out the idea of getting into one of the trains that led to the Geo Front, but he was going to simply follow the rails to get there. The entrances couldn't be perfectly watched without energy, just guarded by some agents; agents he would deal with. From there on he would manage to find a way to Central Dogma.

A man wearing a pink shirt and brown pants was coming his way. Caught off guard, Fox ducked and hid under the nearest train. The man didn't see him.

"This is the Third District Japan Air Self-Defence Force," a voice thundered over the city. It came from an airplane flying above them "An unidentified object is currently approaching this area. Residents, please go to your designated shelters as soon as possible!"

'An unidentified object?' Fox wondered silently 'So one of those Angel things is coming this way...'

The man in the pink shirt reacted nervously.

"Oh, no! I have to report to HQ!" the man said worriedly "But how..."

Fox almost snarled. It couldn't be. He was sure the man was speaking of another Headquarters. The odds of running into a member of NERV in this situation were ridiculous. It just couldn't be. But hell, he certainly didn't loose anything just watching the man talk. Maybe he WAS a member of NERV after all.

A van was coming their way, voicing some political propaganda over a couple of speakers at the top. The man's face lit up.

"Lucky!" he said happily.

Fox waited for the van to arrive. Then the man in the pink shirt stopped it flailing his arms over his head. The driver stopped and the man approached him.

"I'm Makoto Hyouga from NERV!" the man shouted "Due to the special state of emergency I require you take me to NERV Headquarters now!"

You just don't surprise a creature that is part machine and part man and that it has been dead several times already very often. But this incredible blow of good luck left Gray Fox completely stunned. He had a way in now, and one of the easiest to take. It was perfect.

Hyouga got in the van without noticing the fast shape get in the back of the vehicle. He had to warn NERV about the Angel's attack. His negligence was all Fox needed to get in undetected. Now the van would take one lethal foe into the very heart of NERV.

Fox almost laughed out loud. The NERV man had been right after all.

'Lucky, yes... lucky indeed.'

* * *

"Ughhhh..." Shinji moaned.

Everything looked fuzzy. The young Ikari tried to clear his thoughts, but that only worsened the splitting headache he was suffering. He was on the ground, no doubt about it, but that was the only thing he was sure of right now...

Wait. There was something soft pressing against his chest. Shinji raised his head a few centimetres - and even that was a hard task, as his head seemed to weight a ton as of now - and tried to get a look at whatever was on his chest; getting a better look, Shinji saw what it was. A mane of red hair lay on top of him, said mane belonging to one Asuka Langley Soryu, proud pilot of an Evangelion and right now very heavy sleeper. Had the situation been a little different, Shinji would have marvelled at the contrast between the almost infant-like expression Asuka now wore and her usual aggressive demeanour. But things being like they were, Shinji could only stare at her dumbly, wondering what the hell had happened to them.

Then he remembered. He and Asuka had been walking to greet Ayanami. Then the Ninja had come. And just when it looked that this was it for them, he passed out and everything went black.

Fear filling his chest, Shinji tried to get a feel about his physical state. Nothing seemed to feel wrong with him save for the headache, even though that was disappearing as well. Shaking his head to clear his mind, Shinji looked at Asuka and saw that she seemed uninjured as well. She was breathing just fine, and there was nothing to point that she was hurt.

Sitting up, Shinji placed Asuka's head in his lap and gently nudged to wake her up. It took him several tries to get her to respond to him.

Asuka woke up with a splitting headache. Opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was Shinji's worried face. The boy was shaking her softly while calling her name. Some part of Asuka felt nice about that; she wouldn't mind waking up like that everyday...

Wait, what? What was that idiot doing looming over her? And what the hell was going on? Asuka quickly sat up, and instantly regretted it. It seemed like her head was going to explode. The redhead moaned in pain, rubbing her temples with her hands. She could hear Shinji saying something to her, although his voice sounded faint.

"...suka, are you alright?"

Asuka nodded to him, keeping her eyes closed. Then everything that had happened to them came back to her mind. Looking frantically, she saw that she was actually uninjured. She blew a sigh of relief and addressed Shinji.

"What happened to us?"

"I-I think that thing, whatever it was, drugged us or something," Shinji stuttered, still quite shocked.

"Those Section 2 idiots," Asuka fumed, although the effect was dimmed by her weak voice "They are always watching us, and all of that for nothing."

Asuka shook her head while Shinji stood up in front of her. The boy offered Asuka his hand to help her up.

"You two alright?"

Someone had walked upon them in silence. Asuka was the first one to see him, since Shinji was facing her with his back to the stranger. And the redhead was left completely stunned, again in shock at seeing someone came from stories and legends of the twentieth century.

"Mein Gott..."

Shinji turned around and found himself facing Solid Snake once again. His mouth went dry; he didn't know what to do. Unlike their first encounter, Pliskin was wearing some sort of rubber suit with a harness that carried several guns. And he was carrying a missile launcher on his back on top of that. It was clear that the man was ready for a fight. What he intended to fight remained to be seen.

"Pliskin..." Shinji stammered, not knowing what else to say.

"We meet again, Shinji," Snake greeted him with a curt nod. Intimidating as he looked, neither of the pilots felt very threatened right now. Unlike the ninja before him, Snake didn't seem to want to hurt them "And you must be Asuka Soryu. Are you two alright?"

"Y-Yeah..." Shinji said, still dazed. Having this talk with a wanted terrorist was simply too bizarre for him "I think so..."

"What... what are you doing here?" Asuka asked after some slight hesitation. Snake looked at her for a few seconds.

"Haven't you heard the alarms?" Snake asked then "There's an Angel coming to the city as we speak."

"A-An Angel?" Shinji asked, now very afraid. He and Asuka should be on the Eva Cages right now, not in the middle of the city! This was the place where the battle would take place; if he and Asuka didn't get to the Geo Front in time, they were as good as dead. Not to mention that if they didn't get to their EVAs, NERV's defences would be seriously dimmed.

"Yes, an Angel is getting closer to the Geo Front," Snake confirmed "Without any power, there's no way anyone in NERV will know about this; they probably don't even know about the threat. You've got to get to the Geo Front right now and warn NERV of the Angel; it is the only chance all the people in Tokyo 3 have. If you fail, the JSSDF will bomb the hell out of this place and all the civilians will die."

"But, if there's an Angel here, what are you going to do?" Shinji asked nervously. Snake remained silent.

"Why were you here in the first place?" Asuka asked loudly, standing up and looking at Snake with shining eyes. Snake looked at them in the eye.

"I'm going to buy you some time."

"What!" Asuka asked unbelievingly.

"How!" Shinji said, joining his fellow pilot.

"Are you completely out of your mind, you dummkopf! Don't you know that entire armies have already tried to do that and failed! What exactly do you intend to do to the Angel, stare it to death? There's no way you can do this!"

"I can," Snake said, not loosing a bit of his calmness "Because there is no choice."

"But," Shinji didn't know what to say. Snake was still almost a stranger to him, but he had come to appreciate him after his first talk; he didn't want the legendary warrior to die "There was to be another way!"

"Listen, you've got to get to NERV and stop it, and you can't do that if that thing is out here as well. Looks like it's headed to the Geo Front as well, so you've got no chance to get there before the Angel does. If I manage to distract it, at least I'll buy you some time; I'll give you the chance to get to NERV before the Angel does!"

Both Asuka and Shinji fell silent at Snake's words. They both knew he was right: they would never get to the Geo Front in time, not with the Angel on their backs. But on the other hand, only EVAs were a match to Angels. The thought of a man facing an Angel alone was laughable at best. But on the other hand, Solid Snake was famous for doing things that everyone deemed impossible. If someone could do it, it was him.

In the end it was Asuka the one that made up her mind first. She still thought with complete conviction that Snake's attempt was a mere form of suicide, but then she applied cold logic to the current situation and found out that there was nothing else to do about it. She and Shinji had to get to NERV. Snake wasn't their concern, and they couldn't do anything about his resolve. If he wanted to sacrifice himself, then so be it; Asuka didn't like it one bit, but she and Shinji had their own problems to deal with.

"Come on, idiot," the redhead said to the still mute Shinji, giving the boy a slight punch in the arm to shake him off his stupor "He means business. Let's get to NERV already."

"But... but there's no way you can do it!"

Snake gave Shinji a long look before finally responding to the young Ikari's claim.

"That's why you are going to get to the Geo Front and kill it yourselves. Go now. I'm counting on you."

Shinji looked at Snake and felt ashamed of himself. He had refused to get in EVA in his first night in the city even if there was no other choice, and here was a man ready to face an Angel with his bare hands due to the same reason. He felt ashamed of all the times people had called him a hero for piloting. He was a coward; a coward undeserving of their praise.

Asuka stopped for a few seconds, taking a look at the warrior in front of them. It was because of men like him that she had tried so hard to be the best pilot; to deserve to be called a legend like them, to be referred as a hero just like the ones from all the tales she had heard in her life.

"Snake..."

The mercenary looked at her with clear eyes that betrayed no fear. Blue eyes met blue eyes, clear resolution shining in them both.

"Now I understand why there are legends about you."

* * *

The van came to a screeching halt in the middle of NERV Headquarters. Several technicians had to jump aside to avoid getting hit by the speeding vehicle.

"An Angel is approaching!" Makoto said as soon as the van stopped, talking through the speakers with a loud and clear voice "I suggest all EVAs readied for combat!"

Several gasps followed his words. But one man remained calm.

"Fuyutsuki, I leave the rest to you," Gendo said, standing with cold determination "I'm going to the cages to prepare the EVAs for combat."

"You mean you are going to do it manually?" Fuyutsuki asked in surprise.

"We have a diesel for emergencies," Gendo said cryptically, leaving without giving Fuyutsuki any time to point the obvious lack of pilots.

* * *

Fox only had a vague idea of the base's layout as a guide. While he knew that he could have simply jumped from the van as soon as they arrived at the Command Center - he was sure that the Commander was there then - that would have been detrimental. Yes, he could have gotten to him by surprise, and yes, he could have killed him there. But then he would have found himself surrounded with no escape route, literally standing in the middle of the enemy's base; he would have been killed in the end, no matter how good he was. He decided to wait a little since his original plan wasn't viable.

After that technician had gotten out, some of the security goons came to take the van outside again. Fox decided to wait until they were out of the Command Center - which meant out of sight - to make his move.

Knocking out the two civilians was easy. Two quick hits at the back of their heads did the job. The agent driving the van turned quickly and spotted Gray Fox right behind him.

He didn't get to scream before Fox's blade impaled him from behind. The van stopped after a few dozen meters.

The sound of footsteps gave away the arrival of several security agents coming his way to check why the van stopped. Knowing he was in a darkened corridor and that there were no cameras due to the blackout, Fox simply got out of the van and faced them.

Five Section 2 agents stopped cold at the sight of the Cyborg Ninja. Their eyes displayed surprise, disbelief and horror, as they understood what had happened to their partner inside the van. But the most shocking thing was Fox himself. It wasn't everyday that you found some sort of man-machine.

Fox readied his Katana and attacked.

The agents raised their guns in a quick flash at the sight of a threat. They opened fire, but what they were seeing was downright impossible.

Fox ran at them with incredible speed, cutting the incoming bullets with his blade. Then, he leapt in the air, somersaulting over the first guard with his blade moving around him like a blur, acting like a shield to the perfect soldier.

With one deadly swing of his blade the first guard was dead, splashing blood everywhere. Fox turned and delivered a reverse roundhouse kick to the face of the nearest agent; the kick was so strong that sent the man flying backwards five meters before hitting the wall with his back, losing consciousness.

The knocked out agent would consider himself lucky later, as his partners were now being slaughtered by the Cyborg Ninja. One of them died before realizing what had happened, as it was almost impossible for the eye to follow the Ninja's moves.

There were only two guards left, Fox saw. And they were very close. He knew what he would do now.

Fox ran at the guards, standing in front of them in less than one second. The first one ran out of bullets while shooting futilely at Fox, so he threw a mid roundhouse kick at his enemy. Fox simply ducked and delivered a sweep kick at the agent, making him land on his back. Fox then stood on his right leg and reverse spin kicked the other guard in the head, cracking his skull.

The entire fight didn't take more than five seconds. Three guards were dead, one unconscious and the last one was trying to crawl out of the scene, looking at the Ninja with terrified eyes.

Fox grabbed the agent by his throat and lifted him with one arm. Then, he asked in a low, cold tone.

"Where is Gendo Ikari?"

"I-in the EVA cages," the agent stammered while choking.

Fox's grip tightened.

"Where?"

Two words escaped the agent's lips.

"T-to the so-south east... Level B-07."

* * *

Snake was running through the empty streets of Tokyo 3. The sight of such a modern city completely deserted was alien to him, but everything had been surprising since he came to Japan altogether. It had been years since he had last been here, and things had certainly changed during that time. The thought almost made him feel old.

"Snake, can you hear me?" Otacon's voice said through the codec.

"Otacon! Did you make it to the shelters?"

"Yes, like everyone else," the otaku confirmed "I hacked into some of the JSSDF surveillance programs. Snake, I'll try to help you in any way I can."

"Good. I didn't like the idea of facing a thing I know anything about without any assistance."

"Okay Snake," Otacon said, using the collected tone he reserved for battle; it wouldn't do to get nervous when Snake was about to have a fight to the death "Right now the civilians are in the shelters already. Normally, the buildings of the city descend via hydraulic engines and disappear beneath the ground. It's actually a really clever defence mechanism."

"I've heard of it," Snake said "Too bad it won't work today."

"Exactly, but on the other hand, it gives you an advantage," Otacon explained "Snake, you are literally an ant when it comes down to face an Angel. The fact that there are so many buildings around you gives you not only the chance to hide, but to protect yourself against the Angel; remember, facing one of them in open battle is simply impossible. Use the buildings to hide, and attack by surprise!"

The ground started to tremble. Snake exhaled deeply and tried to mentally ready himself for the battle to come. He knew this was going to be one of the toughest fights of his life. Not even the Metal Gears compared to this. The trembling of the ground intensified, huge footsteps thundering over the empty city. Snake gripped his Stinger more tightly and knew that the time to fight had come. The Angel was here.

The first word that came to his mind when looking at the huge creature was... bizarre. It looked like a giant spider no less. Otacon had said that Angels didn't resemble one another; Snake cursed under his breath. He didn't like spiders. The creature came closer, walking through the empty streets, completely unchallenged. The main body was covered by eyes, a great deal of them. As if the body alone wasn't disgusting enough. And the eyes looked almost came from a surrealist picture. It was easily the ugliest thing Snake had seen in his entire life.

Right now, the creature was coming straight at him. Snake guessed that it was because he was in the way to the Geo Front; he fervently hoped that it wasn't due to the Angel specifically targeting him. The incredible footsteps were actually cracking the streets and making the entire ground shake. That was one of the things he'd have to be careful of: he couldn't let the Angel step anywhere near close to him. The creature's other abilities remained to be seen. The Angel walked, coming closer, closer and closer, and now it was barely three blocks away from him. It was nearly one hundred feet tall.

Cold blood pumped in Snake's veins, and the feeling of battle entered him. Aiming with cold precision, he pointed his Stinger Missile launcher and opened fire. The Missile flew gracefully through the air, coming closer to the creature...

And nailed one of the Angel's huge eyes.

A terrible screak thundered across the empty city. It had been a scream came from hell itself, chilling to the bone. It seemed that Otacon's guess had been correct. The Angel hadn't sensed any threat nearby; its own enormous size factoring a disadvantage in this battle, and Snake's attack had taken it completely by surprise. The legendary soldier, now in full battle mode, didn't even allow himself a moment of respite, even though he couldn't help but feel a little relieved.

"Yes! Nice shot, Snake!" Otacon cheered through the codec.

The legendary warrior knew that only now the battle would begin. He had to win time, time for Ikari and Soryu to get to NERV; now that the Angel knew that there was a threat nearby, it would look for it and end it. Snake would have to hold his own in this desperate battle. The Angel stood up to its full height, becoming taller than many buildings, dwarfing Snake in comparison and making itself a tougher target for the warrior to hit with his Stinger missile launcher. But the creature was about to use its deadliest weapon.

Several of the Angel's eyes shifted, causing a sickening wet sucking sound; a huge blast of a yellowish liquid came then, flying directly towards the place where the Missile had come from. Snake didn't need to think to know that it was dangerous stuff. He quickly jumped aside, grunting with the effort, and the liquid blast landed a few meters away from him. It was clear now that the Angel hadn't directly attacked him, but rather the place where it thought the attack came from. Standing up, the mercenary eyed the place where the yellowish liquid had hit the road.

'What the hell...' he mused, seeing how everything the liquid touched quickly melted down and dissolved into toxic steam 'That's some sort of acid...'

The Angel, sensing no more danger nearby, simply resumed its path towards the Geo Front. Realizing that his small size was actually a great advantage to him, Snake took aim and fired the Stinger again, this time nailing another eye with his unerring accuracy. The Angel let out a furious howl and sent another burst of deadly acid towards him. Snake ran across the street, seeing how the pavement behind him melted, the toxic steam caused by it making him cough.

But the Angel was not to be so easily fooled this time. Another blast of liquid came, and then another, and then many others, all of them thrown randomly across the streets, melting the roads, crushing small houses and melting the sides of several buildings.

Needless to say, that was bad for Snake. Seeing that staying on the streets was suicide, he quickly knocked a door over and got into a small house, desperately looking for cover against the deadly substance the Angel was spitting. But soon the ceiling began to collapse, no doubt hit by one of the acid blasts; debris started to fall, and the yellow acid slip through, making the air inside the place completely suffocating. Snake tried to cover himself as best as he could while coughing violently, looking for a way out of the soon to be destroyed house.

Snake kicked a back door and found a small backyard with a seven feet tall wall at the back. He quickly climbed the wall and cut through the empty houses and buildings, getting as far away from the Angel as he could. Soon he was on a new street, seeing the Angel spit acid over the buildings and houses where he had been just seconds ago.

Solid Snake was no coward, but that didn't mean he wanted to open fire again and let the Angel know about his position. It had already been tricky enough to avoid getting fried the first time. He wasn't eager to repeat the experience. But as he raised his head, he saw that the Angel was resuming its path towards NERV. That was bad; in fact, it was precisely what he had to avoid. He was sure Ikari and Soryu would have gotten to the Geo Front right now - hopefully the First Child had done so as well - but he had to fight as much as he could if he was to give them time to activate the Evangelions.

He had to do this. He had to, and he would, because there was no other way. He raised his Missile launcher again and fired upon the unsuspecting Angel.

But this time there wouldn't be such luck. The missile didn't get to hit the huge creature, melted down by one of the acid sprays before even getting close to its target. Worse yet, the Angel focused its efforts on the place from where the attack had come from. Knowing that pattern by now, Snake had already fled as soon as he fired. Running as fast as he could, he ran through the empty streets, hearing how the roads behind him literally melted down. He attacked again as soon as he got into a firing position. The missile flew straight through the acid blasts and hit the Angel's body, which actually didn't seem to cause any harm. Snake cursed and ran again, desperate to escape the retaliation attack.

Things were looking bad. But then Otacon came up with some ideas.

"Snake, I think... I think the Angel's blind!"

"Are you sure, Otacon?" Snake couldn't help but ask. He already knew Angels were bizarre, but this was just ridiculous "Haven't you thought about the irony of a dozen eyed creature being blind?"

"So far, the Angel hasn't targeted you," Otacon excitedly explained "It only has tried to strike you by attacking multiple places at the same time! Snake, all the Angels so far have been known to have a special defence known as AT Field," and now the otaku's voice gained that nerdy tone that, strangely enough, offered some solace to the warrior in the battlefield "It resembles a force field; it's a barrier that almost nothing can penetrate. I don't know exactly why, but it might be that this Angel doesn't have one. Either that, or it's confused by the lack of a significant enemy."

"A significant enemy? What do you mean by that?" Snake asked, his pride slightly wounded.

"So far, all the Angels have faced Evangelions in battle," Otacon replied, going through some files in his laptop "While we don't know anything about their senses, it's safe to assume that they must have a way to feel their opponents; it's probably related to how they feel other beings' AT Fields. And you don't have any kind of strong energy, or anything that an Angel could detect as dangerous. Maybe that's your best shot: you are almost invisible to this thing, Snake. Use that to your advantage!"

'That's easier said than done,' Snake mused. This was a hopeless battle from the very beginning, and he knew it. Even if Otacon's guess was correct, he still had almost no way to actually hurt the Angel. True, he had nailed two of the creature's eyes by now, and the Angel had looked fairly upset at that, but he seriously doubted he posed anything more than a hindrance to the creature. And exposing himself to take another shot was suicidal right now. The Angel kept spitting acid all over the streets, creating steaming craters and making impossible for Snake to attack. The beast may not know where he was, but that didn't make it any less dangerous. Frustration started to boil inside Snake. He didn't like to admit it, but he was somehow unused to being unable to do anything useful. The knowledge that the world was about to end, or that millions of lives could be lost if he failed and there was nothing he could do about it was maddening. He hadn't felt such kind of despair in a long time.

A spray of acid hit the road before him and Snake was forced out of cover to avoid the scorching heat and toxic steam. He didn't mind about running in plain sight; if Otacon's guess was correct the Angel wouldn't see him anyway. The problem was that the Angel was still spraying the city with acid and he wouldn't be able to dodge forever. But being out of cover allowed him to check his surroundings one last time.

Looking up, Snake saw his one chance.

The Angel was nearing one of the huge cranes that took care of removing the immense corpse of the Fifth Angel. The huge creature was now passing right beneath it, heedless of its dead comrade's body. A small gas station was nearby, just on the other side of the street. Seeing that, Snake made a plan and went through with it. There was no time to hesitate; he would either do it or not do it at all, there would be no try.

Taking aim quickly but carefully, Snake fired a missile at the weakest point in the crane's metal structure. The missile flew right between some of the acid blasts, coming out unscathed by sheer luck. A loud explosion came then, and the crane collapsed loudly over the Angel's body. The creature didn't even bat a metaphorical eyelid, but at least it did stall it for some seconds. Snake then aimed again and shot at the Gas station right next to the Angel's prone body.

A huge explosion took place and for some seconds there was nothing to be seen, fire blinding everything. Soon came a large screen of smoke. But Snake didn't need to see the Angel to know that it was perfectly alive. The creature's screams were very audible, even from large distances.

Seeing the Angel get up again, Snake knew his part of this fight was over. He had bough NERV as much time as he could, and there was nothing else for him to do now. Maybe the few minutes he had fought with the Angel would help both Ikari and Soryu to get to the Geo Front and bring the Evangelions into the battle. If they failed, everyone in the city would die. Knowing that he had done everything in his hand, Snake turned around and prepared to leave the battlefield.

Only to be send flying as one of the Angel's immense legs hit the ground a few meters in front of him. Even though the mercenary hadn't been stepped on, the ground shook hard enough to toss him like a ragdoll. Snake flew several meters through the air, and hit the back of his head against something hard when he landed. He could hear Otacon's faint cries of distress, and see the horrible creature resume its path to NERV... Everything became dark after that.

* * *

In the EVA cages, Ritsuko Akagi and Maya Ibuki were overseeing how the Evangelion were prepared for battle. Right now, the effort of the technicians and the - very manly, in Ritsuko's opinion - Commander had been enough to ready the huge mechas for combat. Even the Entry Plugs were in position. The only thing missing were the pilots.

A loud creak near the ceiling caught the Doctor's attention, and as she looked up she saw the blue haired First Child jump from the ventilation ducts and land gracefully in front of her. It had been a quite impressive display of balance.

"There you are," Ritsuko greeted the First Child. She frowned when she realized Rei was alone "Where are the other pilots?"

"I do not know," Rei answered quietly, as stoic as ever "There is an Angel coming to the Geo Front. Is Unit 00 ready?"

"Well, yes," Ritsuko answered "It was done by hand. The Commander was sure you'd come, so he made sure the EVAs were ready to sortie."

.

Neither woman knew that there was someone else in the cages, someone that didn't belong to NERV. Gray Fox was very pleased at how well things had turned out. Big Boss' contact, Ryouji Kaji, had told them that there would be a blackout today, and that NERV would be defenseless for several hours. It had turned out to be completely true. Now he was literally in the middle of one of the most secure places on Earth, hidden in the shadows. Right now, his target, Gendo Ikari, was shouting orders to his technicians to prepare the Evangelions for manual entry. Without any power, the grand room was completely dark. Fox moved swiftly, silent and deadly. He was a ghost, on every sense of the word. And now, his objective was at hand. He approached the unaware Commander in complete silence.

.

Commander Ikari, along with several technicians, was pulling hard to get Unit 00's Entry Plug in place. All of them were grunting due to the effort. Gendo was disappointed that only Rei had been able to come, but there was no time to hesitate right now. He knew from the Dead Sea Scrolls that this Angel was particularly weak; Rei would have no problem handling it by herself. By now the blue haired girl had changed into her plugsuit and entered the Entry Plug and Gendo and the mechanics were once again pulling the strings to get the plug in place. The cigar-shaped plug was now in place, and Gendo and the technicians blew a collective sigh of relief. The job was done, now the Evangelion would start with no problems.

Standing next to Ritsuko, Ibuki and some mechanics, Gendo started to give the orders to properly start Unit 00.

"Sever the hydraulic...!" the Commander was saying when an incredibly fast shadow moved right in front of him "What...!"

And then blood started to erupt from his right forearm. Because his right hand was no longer there.

"My hand!"

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Doctor Akagi, Maya Ibuki and several technicians yelled in terror as the impossibly fast shadow moved through them, striking mercilessly. Whatever it was, it moved so fast that it was impossible to discern in the darkness. Ritsuko received a vicious blow on her ribs and was sent flying backwards, landing on the floor with a sickening thud. Maya Ibuki received a blow in one of her cheeks, which made her stumble and finally loose consciousness. Some of the technicians weren't that lucky: several of them died before even knowing what was happening, cut in pieces by a blade that was impossible to see with the naked eye. Gendo received a terrible kick to the jaw and crashed against a wall, screaming in pain, his glasses broken by the impact. He too went unconscious a few seconds later, noticing in his last moments of awareness that his right hand wasn't on the floor, or anywhere else. It had been taken by the intruder.

* * *

There was no one, no one, more devoted to Gendo Ikari than Rei Ayanami. The blue haired girl admired the Commander and felt like she owed her life to him. She reacted strongly to his presence, and felt a drive to comply with his orders even if it cost her life.

It was because of that that she did the opposite of what everyone would have expected. Instead of trying to aid the Commander, or at least try to get him some medical help, Rei pushed the final barriers with Unit 00's hands and left for the huge ventilation shafts, looking for a way out of the enormous underground complex called Geo Front. She hadn't done this out of coldness, but of logic instead. Her place was on the battlefield, fighting the Angel. She couldn't help the Commander right now, and there were medical personnel far more capable to aid him than her. She couldn't chase the intruder through the Geo Front either; her EVA was simply too big and the search would be useless, and the intruder had been so fast than even she had been unable to see where did he go.

Knowing those facts, Rei used her logic. And that was what made her crawl through the grand ventilation shafts right now.

She was close to the surface now. There was an opening on the ground hundreds of meters above her, up a large shaft that went directly to the surface. Rei placed Unit 00's hands and legs on the walls and started to climb.

She knew this was the most vulnerable moment of them all. Unit 00 was running on auxiliary power, and she would be completely unable to defend herself if the Angel attacked her now. The fact that she was completely on her own for this mission came into account as well. Right now, an attack from the Angel would be disastrous. Knowing that, Rei made an effort to climb as fast as she could. She had to get to the surface. She had to...

Unit 00 got to the surface with no problems. The huge EVA climbed the final meters and knelt on the ground, finally over the surface. Rei scanned her surroundings quickly, trying to spot the Angel as fast as possible.

There it was. It was large, although not as large as its predecessors, and it resembled a bizarre spider of sorts. Right now, the creature seemed focused on causing as much destruction as possible on the streets. There were craters all over the city, and many buildings had been destroyed. Rei spotted a large smoke screen and figured that the Angel had destroyed a Gas station or a fuel depot of some kind.

Unit 00 stood up, and Rei knew the Angel had spotted it. It wasn't anything visible, she just knew it. The creature had sensed the huge EVA even before seeing it. It had probably felt the EVA's immense strength, or its AT Field.

The Angel didn't waste any time. Soon it stood up, becoming very tall, and letting out a harsh screak send a large blast of a liquid steaming substance towards the EVA. Rei didn't have to think to know that it was dangerous stuff. Seeing the blast of yellowish liquid coming to her, Rei willed a shield to appear in front of her. The EVA responded, and suddenly its AT Field came to life with blinding light. The Angel's blast of liquid crashed against the field, harmlessly dripping to the floor then. Looking down, Rei saw that the yellow liquid was actually a very corrosive acid.

Which was a quite useless weapon against Unit 00. Rei had seen some pages of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and knew that this Angel was prophesied to be unusually weak. It seemed that the Scrolls were right once more. Still, the First Child realized that she would have been beaten if the Angel used this attack on her while she was climbing to the surface. Had the creature arrived to NERV faster, the battle would have been lost.

Seeing the futility of its attack, the Angel charged upon Unit 00, still blasting acid over the latter's AT Field. Rei stood her ground, aiming at the Angel with her pallet rifle. She would have to lower her AT Field to fire, which would expose her momentarily. In order to kill the Angel and survive unscathed, she would have to be precise when opening fire, and carefully time the moment to do so.

The Angel was nearing, making the ground tremble with each step taken. Maybe the creature would try a new tactic once in range; Rei couldn't let it come too close. Seeing the Angel approach, Rei readied herself and waited, waited just for some seconds... and opened fire, quickly lowering her AT Field and receiving several blasts of acid on her torso.

The scorching pain was intense, but that didn't hinder Rei in the slightest. The blue haired girl kept her rifle aimed at the main body of the Angel, firing relentlessly despite the pain. The creature, caught with no defence whatsoever, received the huge bullets and stood still for some seconds before simply collapsing on the streets. Rei had won the battle.

* * *

Let it be said that Captain Misato Katsuragi and Special Agent Ryouji Kaji had been trapped inside an elevator this whole time. This was not good for the Captain's mood. Having to spend a lot of time alone with the man she disliked didn't help matters in the slightest. She was only hoping for this problem - whatever it was - to end quickly so she could leave this place and run to the bathroom.

But, as soon as the lights came back and the elevator started moving again, the alarms started to thunder through the entire underground complex. Misato and Kaji exchanged a look. The purple haired Captain's face turned instantly grim, filled with the seriousness only battle could bring to her. The elevator doors opened and she was out in an instant, all other concerns forgotten. She would get a briefing as soon as she got to the Command Centre.

Behind her, Kaji wasn't in such a rush. He already knew what had happened. Big Boss had finally made his first move. The scenario had changed, and now the game was on. Deep down, he wanted to laugh out loud in exhilaration. Finally someone had humbled Gendo Ikari.

* * *

Central Dogma was in an uproar of activity and fear. Just the task of handling all the returning circuits and flood of information alone would be enough to give the bridge bunnies a headache. Add that to having to handle the fact that there had been an Angel attack just a few seconds ago. Add that to the fact that Unit 00 was still outside, running out of power. And then add the little fact that the Commander had been maimed right in the middle of the base, and that the attacker hadn't been found, and that they had no way to know where he was.

In short, this was the kind of situation that made a regular Angel attack look calm. This was the kind of situation that made Lieutenant Makoto Hyouga wish he wasn't a computer geek and a NERV technician. Everything around him was a frenzy, with the other two bridge bunnies working feverishly over their terminals, and with the Sub Commander shouting orders and Doctor Akagi looking sick from worry and fear. Some of the lower levels technicians were still shaking after learning of the brutal attack that had transpired just moments ago.

All that changed as soon as Captain Katsuragi entered the room. She came with the grim determination that characterized her in the craziest of battles. Her aura of confident unrelenting authority instantly brought some level of calmness to the place. She had just arrived and Makoto, Aoba and Doctor Akagi herself were already briefing her on what had happened. Misato's face showed her shock, but the woman remained cold. Her iron drive encouraged all present to work harder and avoid panicking. Misato soon started to give orders to solve matters quickly.

"I want all entry and exit points to the Geo Front secured!" Misato ordered "Send additional forces to guard the entrances!"

The technicians complied with her orders, realizing that Misato's strategy was the only one that had actually some chances of success. Since they didn't know where the intruder was, cutting off his escape route was the only thing to do "And prepare a strike team. We will find this intruder ourselves."

The room went into a frenzy during the next minutes while the technicians coordinated the efforts of the strike teams, all of them being directed by a full commanding Misato. But the intruder was impossible to find, heedless of NERV's best efforts.

"Central Dogma has been locked down," Makoto reported "The strike team reports that the EVA cages are secure"

Misato sighed with relief. She had been worried that the intruder could be after the EVAs as well. Knowing that that wasn't the case made her feel a little better.

"The MAGI's inner corridors are secure," Aoba continued the report "the main corridors are secure as well."

"What about the Pribnow Box and the testing areas?" Misato asked with a frown.

"Secure," Makoto answered "The intruder is nowhere to be found, Ma'am. Even the holding cells are clean."

"Dammit," Misato let out a curse, growing frustrated with the situation. She really didn't want to deal with this: the fight with the Angel had just ended, and there was plenty of things to do. But then, a thought entered her mind "Hyouga, what about the auxiliary corridors?"

"The auxiliary corridors?" the Lieutenant enquired.

"The backup corridors, ventilation shafts, maintenance corridors, even the ventilation ducts," the Major explained "Are they secure as well?"

"Impossible to tell, Ma'am," Aoba said "The strike teams haven't checked them yet!"

"Then that's how the intruder is moving trough Headquarters!" Misato said in a cold, precise tone 'He wouldn't move in plain sight. He is using the Geo Front's own maze-like structure to get undetected' the Major thought with a frown ' This man is a professional, no doubts about it. Why didn't he kill the Commander?' but her musings could wait, Misato thought, snapping back to her commanding mode "Hyouga, send the strike teams to the maintenance corridors ASAP! I want constant reports on any discovery they make!"

"Ma'am, what are you going to do?" Makoto asked, seeing Misato place a comm. link in her right ear.

"I'm going to lead the search myself," the Major said, readying her USP pistol with expert hands "I'm leaving you in charge, Hyouga. Report any developments in the search of the intruder immediately" Misato concluded, receiving a quick nod as an answer before leaving the Command Centre, intending to find this intruder and deal with him as fast as possible.

The alarms were blazing; NERV's headquarters was on full alert. Misato passed through a door and entered a dark auxiliary corridor.

And she stopped in shock.

There was a strange creature in front of her, wielding something that could pass as a Katana blade. Its head was covered by a helmet of sorts, so there was no way for Misato to see its face. But the most terrible thing was the creature's body. It seemed as it had lost his humanity and now was something that resembled more a machine than a person. All the creature's limbs seemed cybernetic.

The Cyborg ninja stopped in silence. Misato had been right in her guess, he was using the auxiliary corridors and ventilation ducts to move through the base, and now he was surprised that someone had discovered him.

The stunned silence only lasted one second. Then, the ninja leapt in the air and dove towards Misato, who barely had the time to aim and shoot once at her enemy. But the ninja parried the bullet with his blade and swung at Misato with a reverse grip, in a movement that would have cut her head off with ease, hadn't Misato ducked in the last second. A few strands of purple hair were cut.

Misato turned and shot again, but this time the ninja ducked and kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying several feet backwards.

Misato landed on the floor with a loud thud. She couldn't believe the way the ninja could move. It was like he could dodge bullets with ease. She never thought someone - or something - like this could exist.

But there was no time to think about that, as the ninja leapt in the air again and posed his blade to stab Misato's chest with it. Misato reacted quickly and rolled aside, avoiding the blade by a few inches, and then she delivered a sweep kick that made the ninja stumble and lose balance. Misato stood up and readied her gun for the killing blow.

But the ninja was not to be so easily defeated. Instead of falling to the floor, he used his supernatural agility and back flipped, landing on his feet again. He parried Misato's shot and then he approached her, blocking all her shots and closing the distance between them. He was going to end the fight.

Misato shot at the ninja until her clip was empty. By that time the ninja was already in front of her, so she threw a roundhouse kick at him. But her enemy ducked with the same dexterity he had displayed during the entire fight, and then he punched her in the left cheek with the back of his hand.

Misato wasn't used to feel this pain. She felt like her head had been blown up. The ninja's punch made her fly a few meters before landing on the floor, face first. Misato felt her strength running from her, her body feeling like it weighted a ton.

The ninja was approaching. He would slaughter her now. Misato sat up and faced him.

A barrage of bullets derailed the ninja from reaching Misato. The cybernetic creature parried them with his blade, his arms moving like a blur that the eyes couldn't follow. Misato turned her head and saw that the strike teams had finally arrived, several armoured men with P90s shooting at the ninja with cold precision.

Misato was trained to see an opening when it presented itself. The ninja had turned to face the armed men - dealing with their armor piercing bullets like if there were made of butter - and was now presenting his side to the Major, that realized that she still had her pistol in her hands. So, reloading with calmness but speed and efficiency, Misato readied her gun and shot several times at her target, taking aim very carefully.

Caught off guard, the ninja didn't have time to parry all of Misato's shots. One of them hit him in his right leg, while other hit the ribs. The ninja let out a curt cry of pain before throwing something on the floor, desperately trying to parry the onslaught of bullets that were coming his way.

Misato realized what was happening too late. Her mind did register the ninja's actions, but she didn't have the time to react. The ninja had thrown a flashbang grenade, and Misato was left blind - as well as all the armed men in the previously dark and now impossibly bright tunnel - getting incapacitated by a few crucial seconds. She could hear the moans and cries of the strike team members around her, the soldiers having been taken by surprise by the ninja's last tactic.

Misato wasn't surprised when after some seconds of total blindness the ninja was nowhere to be found. Cursing under her breath, the Captain realized that she wouldn't be able to chase the intruder all over the base. She would have to go back to the Command Centre and redirect all the search efforts from there.

* * *

It was in the middle of the chaos that Asuka and Shinji entered the Command Centre, both panting heavily. Misato ran towards them, worry written all over her face. Both pilots saw her dishevelled state and her bloodied face and instantly wanted to ask questions, but Misato was faster.

"Are you two okay? Where were you!"

"We... couldn't find... our way in without any power," Shinji said, trying to recover his breath.

"What happened Misato?" Asuka asked, seeing the mayhem around them "Is the Angel dead?"

"Yes, it's dead," Misato informed them "But the Commander's been attacked," both teens gave her identically shocked faces. Shinji was about to ask her something, but Misato beat him to it "He's alive, but unconscious. You two must stay here at all costs, under complete watch from Section 2, do you hear me?"

Shinji nodded, still stunned at the unbelievable news, but Asuka still had some things to say.

"Misato, wait!" the redhead called "Shinji and I were attacked by some ninja earlier!" seeing Misato's horrified face, Asuka was sure that it had been the same creature that had attacked the Commander "And not only that! When we woke up, Solid Snake was there!"

"WHAT!" now Misato was beyond herself. It seemed that this had been a conspiracy of sorts; each piece of news she got was even more incredible than the last one "Was he working with the ninja!"

"No," Asuka denied seriously "He wanted to help us," Misato was too dumbfounded to respond, so the Second Child went on "He told us that he would give us time to get to the Geo Front and that he would face the Angel on his own."

Misato was completely silent after hearing that. She wasn't the only one: no one in the entire Command Centre could believe what Asuka had just said.

"...And you think he actually went and did that?" Misato finally asked.

"I'm sure he did," Asuka said "He must be out there in the city right now."

Misato turned her back on the two pilots and went to Makoto's side, thinking furiously. She started to check the city's map 'Rei reported that several parts of the city were already destroyed before she got to the surface,' the Captain thought in a flash 'and I thought that it was due to the Angel's destructive nature. But they never target unimportant things for no reason!'

"Hyouga, I want you to perform a scan of the city with the MAGI, specifically of the more damaged areas," Misato ordered swiftly "Aoba, alert the strike teams. I'll lead them to the surface myself!"

* * *

Loud ringing was the first thing Snake recognized when he woke up. His head hurt like hell, and his entire body ached. He was getting old, like or not, and that made itself felt now. The loud ringing continued, annoying him to no end. He shook his head and opened his eyes; what at first was a blur slowly became an image of the city. It was full of craters and melted down buildings, but at least it was standing. Snake figured that the ringing were the alarms when he suddenly realized it was his codec.

"Otacon?" the mercenary grunted, still very dizzy.

"Snake!" the otaku cried in utter relief "You're alive! I was starting to think that you had died on the battle!"

"Heh, I still have a few battles to fight... I won't die that easily," Snake said, feeling a stab of sharp pain in his back "What happened to me, Otacon? And where's the Angel?"

"The Angel is dead, Snake," Otacon said "You hit your head quite hard and passed out. I've been trying to reach you for fifteen minutes!"

"Did NERV kill the Angel?" Snake asked, trying to get up.

"Yes," Otacon said "Unit 00 did it. Looks like this was a pretty weak Angel."

"That's... good," Snake said. His vision became blurry by the second. But the next thing he saw was not good at all.

Several black vans came to a screeching halt in front of him. Many armed men got down, all of them pointing their guns at him. Snake recognized them without a second thought. They were Section 2 men, NERV's own Secret Service. And leading them all was no other than Captain Misato Katsuragi.

"Solid Snake," the purple haired woman said harshly "Under the authority of NERV, you are under arrest."

.

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**Author Notes 2:**

And so this chapter ends. It represents a turning point of events, just as the title says. Things will get a lot more violent from now on, and many characters will take bigger roles than suspected.

The scene when Fox cuts Gendo's hand has been on my mind for ages. I remember the first time I saw Evangelion, when Gendo raised his right hand and showed he had ADAM there, I though 'That's asking for Gray Fox to come get you'. You may have noticed I strongly based that part on when Fox cuts Ocelot's hand. It was sort of a wink to MGS1.

Now, some of you might want my head for the whole 'Snake vs. Angel' thing. Before you do so, let me tell you a bit about that. The Angel that appears in episode eleven is by far the weakest of them all. Actually, the only thing it seems capable of doing is spitting acid, and only downwards. For god's sake, Shinji kills it with the pallet rifle. Judging from that, I'd say that it doesn't even have an AT Field. I was writing and then I thought about the chance of an epic fight between Snake and the Angel, and figured 'why not?'. Had it been any other Angel, a fight would have been impossible. But considering the lack of capacities of this particular Angel, I thought it could happen. Hope you can see my point.

Many, many thanks to you for reading. I sincerely hope that you liked this. If you did, or if you want to point out anything, please leave a review and tell me what you think. I'm counting on your support to keep going.

Devil Boss


	6. Questions

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own any of the characters from the Evangelion and Metal Gear Solid universes; they belong to Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, GAINAX Studios, Hideo Kojima, Shoji Shinkawa, Kojima Productions and Konami Studios.

**Author Notes:**

First of all, many thanks to those of you who reviewed. Your comments were very kind and definitely taken into attention for this and further chapters. It took me a while to update because college's been quite demanding of my time lately. But I already wrote a few things of the next chapter, as well as the script for several others to come, so don't think I'll leave this incomplete.

To those that left a review, thanks again. You encourage me to keep writing. To those that read this fic and like it, please leave a comment as well. Help me improve and keep going.

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**Chapter 4: Questions**

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"Mein Gott, he's insane..." Asuka Langley Soryu voiced her thoughts and, unknowingly, those of everyone present in the dimly lit room.

Shinji, Rei and she, along with several technicians, the bridge bunnies, Misato and Ritsuko were seeing the debriefing of what had happened just two days ago. The only absent were Kaji - who had said that he had some work to do - and Maya, that was still in the hospital wing recovering from the Ninja's assault the previous day. Footage of the whole incident with the Angel, along with all other incidents related to NERV were being shown on a large screen in front of them. So far, Asuka and Shinji had already told their part of the story six times. But this was the first time anyone got to see what had happened after the two pilots had left the streets. Makoto had been able to recover some of the images one of NERV's satellites had of the whole battle; it had been deemed by the Sub Commander that everyone should be as informed as possible.

And now, the screens were showing a diminutive Solid Snake face the Ninth Angel with nothing else than a missile launcher. Knowing that, Asuka's words were actually justified. Still, everyone present couldn't help but feel incredibly admired at the bravery of the man.

"...I'd never seen anyone do anything so amazing in my entire life. It's like he's a real movies hero came to life." a female technician muttered in shock. Many present agreed with her.

"So he actually succeeded in stalling the Angel's progress?" Makoto couldn't help but ask. He had always been a military otaku after all; seeing one of the world's most famous warriors in action was way too exiting for him to keep quiet.

"Yes," Ritsuko answered "This tape and our other sources confirm that the subject known as Solid Snake managed to distract the Angel for at least seven minutes."

"Which probably saved us, considering our reduced capabilities," Misato added thoughtfully.

"What does this mean, then?" Aoba asked "From what pilots Ikari and Soryu told us and this tape, we can conclude that he wasn't planning on attacking NERV, right?"

"Not necessarily," Misato answered "Solid Snake is a known terrorist. His target could have been the EVAs for all we know."

"But if the EVAs are his target, why didn't he attack me the first time he saw me, or the second when I was with Asuka?" Shinji asked, getting everyone's attention. The boy blushed slightly and stammered "I-I mean, isn't it easier to kill the pilots rather than to destroy the EVAs?"

Everyone kept staring at him and Shinji looked away nervously. But all the others were deep in thoughtful silence. Shinji had been right after all, and his questions couldn't be answered by anyone present.

.

"So, how's Maya doing?" Misato asked her friend Ritsuko. The two women were alone in the briefing room; right after everyone had left the place. Ritsuko was getting some papers and Misato had decided to wait for her.

"She's better," the blonde answered "She had a mild concussion after that blow to the head, but she'll be fine soon. I expect her to come to work tomorrow."

Misato nodded and looked at her friend. Ritsuko was carrying herself slower than usual. She had been there when the Ninja attacked, and had gotten a terrible kick out of the ordeal that had cracked two ribs and left her body completely bruised from when she crashed against the floor. But the woman had refused to take some time to recover. Without one of the Bridge Bunnies in charge of the MAGI, leaving her duties unsupervised even for some days would be very bad.

"And the Commander?" Misato asked "How is he?"

"Stubborn as always," Ritsuko sighed with wrinkles of worry in her face "Just one day after surgery, and he has completely refused to remain in the hospital wing. He dismissed his recovery as 'irrelevant.' But with all the pressure he must be enduring right now, I'm not surprised. Many of the higher ups will want to know exactly what happened; now's not the time for the Commander to be out of action."

Ritsuko finished gathering her papers and walked out of the room with Misato at her side, both women deep in thought about the recent attack and what changes would cause in NERV. Misato finally snorted.

"They'll want to know exactly what happened, but even we don't know that," the purple haired Captain said "With the electricity out, there's no way for us to know how did that Ninja enter the base."

"But still, the question remains," Ritsuko said thoughtfully "There's a difference between entering the base and maiming the Commander in the EVA cages. How did that creature make it so far? How is it possible that it made it to the middle of our base?"

"Half of Section 2 is working on that now," Misato said "We had a huge security breach somewhere. If we want to avoid this kind of thing in the future we must know how it happened. And if Section 2 proves too incompetent to figure out how the intruder infiltrated the base, then I'll check everything myself to figure it out."

"And the terrorist we captured? Solid Snake?" Ritsuko asked. With all the frenzy of the past day, she hadn't had the time to catch up on recent developments.

"Well, so far he's in one of our cells and that's it," Misato answered "Or at least that's all I've heard. The Commander or someone else will interrogate him for sure."

"That... won't be pleasant," Ritsuko muttered to herself. Misato heard her and gave a slight nod, knowing perfectly the kind of 'interrogation' the mercenary would have to face. Ritsuko looked at Misato and finally asked curiously "Do you think that Shinji is right? That Snake actually had nothing to do with the attack on the Commander?"

"My first logical response would be no," Misato said after some time "It's just too much of a coincidence. But then again, with all the things that have been happening lately, it wouldn't be that much of a surprise if he is actually innocent."

But there were several things Misato had left unsaid. Of everyone in the base, the only that knew about Big Boss' possible connection with recent happenings were Misato herself and the two Commanders. The purple haired Captain had been ordered to report to them and leave no details out after her fight with Shalashaska weeks ago; she had reported about the gunslinger's words about Big Boss being alive again and then ordered to keep quiet about that. With all the panic that had engulfed the Geo Front, Misato wasn't eager to reveal that they could be against one of the most terrible foes in the twentieth century.

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"This is outrageous!"

Big Boss sighed and told himself that he had to remain calm if he was to maintain this charade any longer. The SEELE council was playing its role of furious superiors, but Big Boss saw through their act with ease. It was obvious that they were deathly afraid of the recent developments, having witnessed that they weren't as untouchable as they'd thought.

Which, of course, led them to put the blame on someone. And he was the first and foremost candidate to be blame. Funny thing was that he was the responsible of the attack, but in the espionage world that meant nothing. It was a world of lies and deceit. No one was truthful here, to the point of actually believing their own lies to deceive others better.

"You have betrayed us!" SEELE 07 shouted in rage.

"I haven't done such thing," Big Boss retorted "My mission has been to protect SEELE from the Patriots and I've done it. I have complied with all the duties this Committee has chosen for me."

"And yet, your duty is to protect our plans too," SEELE 05 replied "You attack of Commander Ikari is nothing short of treason!"

"You will be dealt with!" SEELE 03 joined his partner.

"I haven't betrayed this council," Big Boss said harshly "Because I'm not responsible for the attack performed on Gendo Ikari."

Dead silence met his words.

"You lie," SEELE 03 accused.

"I do not," Big Boss countered simply "I have a Cyborg Ninja under my command, Gray Fox. He was given to me by this very council to aid me in my mission. He can testify before you if you wish, and he'll tell you the same I do: it wasn't him."

"Who, then?" SEELE 09 asked "No one else is strong enough to conduct such an attack. All the other powerful countries are either under our control, or too far away to be capable of this."

"Some countries, maybe," Big Boss reasoned "But not the Patriots. This Committee knows as well as I do that they're powerful enough to challenge and destroy any foe, SEELE included. I'm sure you weren't the only ones to experiment on human beings to create supersoldiers like the Cyborg Ninja; there are reports of another subject that survived the treatment, which means that there's another Ninja at large, under the Patriots' control."

"And yet, your mission was to deter The Patriots," SEELE 03 stated "Which means that the mere fact of the Cyborg Ninja attacking NERV is in part your fault."

"My mission," Big Boss said, his remaining eye flashing dangerously "was to protect this Committee from the grasp of the Patriots. The fact that you are still alive is proof of my success, SEELE 03. Or should I say Senator Pescaroló?"

"What...!" SEELE 03 gasped; shocked that his name was known by someone that wasn't a member of SEELE "How dare you...!"

But his threats were empty. He had been a strong opponent of the idea of bringing Big Boss back, and proved so many times. But now that Big Boss was free, there was little he could do. Like it or not, Big Boss was now a player in this game as well, and a very dangerous one to boot.

"Enough of this pointless bicker!" Keel ordered "Big Boss, know that you play a very dangerous game. Deceiving this Committee warrants the death penalty."

"Maybe you would consider explaining recent events to us?" SEELE 06 asked with a sharp tone.

"I have already explained what happened to this august council," Big Boss said "My guess stands: it was probably the Patriots that ordered the attack on Gendo Ikari, or a rogue agent that survived the process to become a Cyborg Ninja. I don't know the answer because my mission is to protect SEELE, not NERV and certainly not Gendo Ikari."

"Your words are convincing," SEELE 08 said "But the facts are not as clear."

"You are dismissed, Big Boss," Keel concluded.

"We will be watching," and with that the image of Big Boss disappeared from sight, leaving the twelve monoliths alone. Silence ensued for some time. A thick, tense quietness engulfed the monoliths.

"Should we trust Big Boss' word on this matter?" SEELE 11 finally asked "We all know he was the best agent in the Cold War. Deceit would come as a second nature to him."

"And yet, there is no way for him to know about our plans," SEELE 09 mused "He is a pawn in our game, with petty worries like peace and warfare between East and West. Matters as important as mankind's ascension are well beyond his reach."

"Ikari was attacked by a Cyborg Ninja!" SEELE 03 snapped "And Big Boss is in command of one of them. Only a man with his expertise could have performed such a daunting attack!"

"Maybe not," SEELE 04 intervened "Big Boss' guess could be correct. There's another possibility."

"Yes," SEELE 06 agreed "There's another Cyborg Ninja under the Patriots' power. It could have been him."

The meeting continued in the darkness.

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Both the Commander and the Sub Commander were brooding in the former's grand office right now, musing about what had happened and what was to come. Things weren't looking good for them right now: they'd endured a meeting with the SEELE council that hadn't gone smoothly at all. The council had been utterly furious, even though this was the second time they talked with NERV's leaders in the last days. The attack in the middle of the base showed incredible incompetence, but what they couldn't forgive was the loss of ADAM. It was only thanks to his experience as well as understanding of the scenario that Gendo didn't get executed in the last two days.

"The old men are quite worried," Fuyutsuki commented. He knew Gendo would say nothing by himself save what he wanted done.

"Yes," Gendo said, keeping his left hand on his chin. There was only a stump where his right hand used to be "But all they have is talk; they will not act upon their threats. However, they know more than they're letting off."

"You think it was... The Patriots?"

"It's the most likely choice," Gendo conceded "They had been gaining influence in the Eastern countries over the past years, up until something stalled them some months ago. It wasn't SEELE; the old men are far too obsessed with Instrumentality to care about anything else now."

"So there's a third party already in action," Fuyutsuki realized now "Is it working with SEELE?"

"It would appear so," Gendo said "But this attack could be their doing too."

Neither of them said anything for some time. Fuyutsuki was sure that as of now many of Gendo's contacts would be on the streets, investigating everything and trying to figure who the responsible was. It wouldn't be just Section 2, but a whole army of spies placed everywhere, from the JSSDF to the UN and the Japanese Government, and even some of the lower spheres of SEELE itself. It was only a matter of time before Gendo learned who the responsible had been.

"Now that we have lost ADAM, we must secure the rest of the elements needed for Instrumentality," the Commander said at last "The Third Child will be necessary until we finish the Dummy Plug. Then, I'll have complete control over Unit 01. We'll secure the Lance of Longinus now, and place it in Terminal Dogma, just as the scenario should have gone."

"I see," Fuyutsuki said "I take it you want me to lead the expedition to the South Pole?"

"Indeed," Gendo answered "I cannot go with you, Professor. I will be meeting with several intelligence agencies on the next days."

Fuyutsuki knew what that meant. The Commander was simply desperate to get ADAM back. Without the First Angel, Instrumentality could never happen, and then Gendo would never be reunited with Yui. The older of the Ikaris would go to any extremes to retrieve the lost Angel. He would put all his influences in finding out where it was and getting it back.

"And what about the security both in the Geo Front and in Tokyo 3?" Fuyutsuki asked "I am aware that Section 2 has increased surveillance over all of our assets, but even that could not be enough, judging from the skills displayed by the attackers."

"Section 2 is outclassed," Gendo grunted. His personal secret service was good to keep things quiet, but he wasn't idiotic enough to think that they could match enemies of this new caliber "Which is why I have called for another special unit to help us deal with this inconvenience."

"You mean FOXHOUND?" the Sub Commander inquired "They would be the best to help us now."

"Correct," Gendo smirked "If Captain Katsuragi's doubts about the man called Big Boss being alive again are true, then we must be prepared to counterattack. We'll fight fire with fire."

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Asuka huffed angrily... again. Shinji sighed and tried to distract himself while waiting for Misato to come out of the small hospital room. The purple haired woman was receiving a full physical check up after her fight with the Cyborg Ninja, which had left her with a broken rib and bruises all over her body.

"Why do we have to wait so verdammt long?" Asuka kept complaining "She's been there for more than half an hour, dammit!"

"Well, she has to take us home when she finishes," Shinji tried to reason with his roommate "You know NERV won't let us walk home alone anymore, after the attack on m-my father."

"I know that, idiot!" Asuka snapped "But she could take a bit less time..."

Shinji sighed as the redhead started to rant again. He would have gotten out his SDAT to distract himself, but Asuka had snatched the earphones when she realized he was ignoring her. Still, Shinji knew Asuka didn't truly mean her words. She was concerned too, although she masked it with anger and frustration. But everyone on the base had heard about her fight with the Ninja and needless to say, not a single soul had been left unimpressed when learning about it. Asuka had heard rumours about a possible promotion coming soon for the Captain.

"At last!" cried the redhead when Misato exited the room with a sour look on her face "Let's go already!"

"How did it go, Misato?" Shinji asked with concern. The purple haired woman smiled at him, endeared at his show of care.

"My broken rib is looking better now, and everything else is healing fine," the Captain said. The fact that she could say that was a testament of her unyielding will.

"E-even the gunshot wounds you got against that Shalashaska guy?" Shinji asked, trying to be gentle about it.

"You mean Ocelot? Yeah, the wounds will leave their marks, but no permanent damage."

"Ocelot?" Shinji asked, unfamiliar with the name.

"Yeah, he was called Revolver Ocelot too," Asuka explained with arrogance "As well as Shalashaska, Adamska, Ivan, and ADAM."

Misato said nothing, still deep in thought about recent happenings. And yet, she heard Asuka's last word clearly.

'ADAM...'

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A lurching, battered steel tower stood above Misato Katsuragi. Redness everywhere, as if this was nothing but a fiery inferno, with snow that was now close to ashes and powder flying in the air, completing the picture of death in the world. Something had awoken, something terrible, something ancient; the world was dying around her, killed by the creature that was more powerful than any other that had ever lived.

A man was carrying her. It was one of the few things she could tell. She could feel his hand beneath her knees and shoulders. She could sense his footsteps, tired and agonizing as they were. Behind them, she could also feel the footsteps of the terror that had been disturbed. Weakness in the former, overwhelming power on the latter, and the world that slowly died around them.

A dismembered corpse flew above them, just one of many others that lay on the floor. The Earth was shaking under Misato. The air was trembling, loaded with a fury that was so oppressive it made difficult to breathe. Her saviour kept walking, his unsteady steps showing how much he felt the terror's fury and what this was costing him. Powdery red snow flew everywhere, with unnatural winds blowing, and the redness mixed with the darkness in a deadly chiaroscuro, mixing everything in her eyes, making her vision blurry. And yet, Misato Katsuragi was sure she'd seen another figure run over the dying soil of Antarctica. A dark shape moved swiftly, running and disappearing in the shadows.

Misato felt her body being placed on something soft. Drops of liquid felt over her cheeks, and as she turned her head she saw her father for the last time. Behind him through the ceiling of the decimated base, the living nightmare could be seen. But then there was darkness for her, as she realized she was in a capsule and the hatch had been shut.

For a long time, everything shook. For a long time, everything trembled. Misato could only endure in the darkness, with her soul shouting the luridness that could be felt outside. And then the howl came, as ADAM roared and the world ended. Misato would never, never forget that roar. It was what kept her traumatized for years.

ADAM stood up.

He rose and his wings sprang to life, and his figure was bathed in blinding light. He reached the skies above and went even farther, surpassing the atmosphere, creating a hole from which outer space could be seen, as the souls of the dead rose in cross shaped forms of light. ADAM was a tower, a mountain of light.

Around her, the water revolved in agitated waves, violently shook by the creature that was now walking the Earth. The hatch opened and Misato staggered to her feet. And as she lifted her head and saw two pillars of light, she was the first human being to see the power of the Seeds of Life. The clouds formed a vortex around it, and beams of light fell from the sky. Misato was the first human to see this overwhelming power with her own eyes.

But not the only one.

Misato would never forget him, because she never saw him again. She never learned his name. She never heard any reports about other survivor except her. But she saw him, far away. The other survivor. The other man that made it to a escape pod. The one that was now standing over the cylinder shaped object, watching ADAM and the end of the world with morbid fascination.

The tall, blond man.

.

Fifteen years later, Misato Katsuragi awoke from her nightmare with a strained cry. And just before forcing her mind to block the memories that threatened to come back, she wondered who that blond man was, and why did he suddenly look so familiar to her.

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Standing in a ghost town in the Nagao area, Ryouji Kaji sighed. This had turned out to be another futile chase.

Still, it was better to be careful. Kaji readied his Beretta before entering a small, rundown house. He opened the door in silence and walked in. But all that greeted him was a dusty old room, which looked uninhabited by years.

'So, this is the same as the other ones,' Kaji mused ' another façade for the Marduk Institute, the organization in charge of selecting the Evangelion pilots. Of 108 companies that fund it, this is the 107th that is a fake. That means that there's only one man pulling the strings here...'

Gendo Ikari.

Kaji reached for his phone and dialled in thoughtful silence.

"Agent Kaji," Big Boss answered a few seconds later "Have you made progress on your mission?"

"You could say so," Kaji said "I found absolutely nothing on the Marduk Institute. To put it simply, there's no such institute at all..."

"It's a fake?" Big Boss asked. Kaji grunted in agreement "Then Gendo Ikari is the one choosing the pilots?"

"Exactly," Kaji said darkly "I already knew that all the pilot candidates were put together in the same class. Apparently, Commander Ikari picks them as he sees fit as well."

"I see..." Big Boss mused, deep in thought "This changes many things. I'll make sure our people infiltrates Tokyo 3's municipal school. You have done a good job, Kaji. This gets us one step closer to the completion of our plans."

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Contrary to popular belief, hell was a very real place and it could be found on Earth by any man with the resolve to go there. Thing is, no one wanted to go to such a hideous area. No one wanted to go to the place where Second Impact had taken place, formerly known as Antarctica.

'There are literally no lifeforms here,' Kozou Fuyutsuki, Vice Commander of NERV thought grimly 'The only reason I can just be here is because of the power of science, the best power of mankind. And yet, that is the arrogance that caused the Second Impact in this very same place, fifteen years ago...'

Standing over bridge of the Kumano Aircraft Carrier, Kozou Fuyutsuki couldn't help but think about what had happened fifteen years ago. The huge UN aircraft carrier, surrounded by three Destroyers and four Armoured Cruisers, sailed through red seas that were completely devoid of any life. There were no more glaciers, no more eternal ice. Just some small, fragile icebergs that mourned their past glory, vainly trying to reach to skies that were alien now as well.

'This is the result of our sin,' Fuyutsuki sighed, his gaze lost in the redness of the seas 'this place has been completely purged, and is now untamed. And yet, I'd rather be in a place where people lives, no matter how stained with sin.'

The Sub Commander sighed again and thought of returning to his quarters. His part on this mission was already done, and he was here now merely to supervise the return of the fleet and its precious cargo. It had been one week since Commander Ikari had been brutally attacked and maimed by a mysterious creature described as Cyborg Ninja. One week since the scenario had suffered a huge setback from which NERV could very well not recover at all. One week since they had lost ADAM.

The Committee had not been happy with that. And they had decided to further their plans now, just to regain some stability and search for the missing Angel embryo with a clear head. And that was what Fuyutsuki had been doing here. Recovering the Lance of Longinus.

The huge artefact was now being carried in the landing deck of the carrier. It would be one of the key elements both in SEELE's and Ikari's scenario. Retrieving it had been tricky, but the worst part was over.

Something caught the aged Vice Commander's eye. A few miles away, the seas were disturbed. Something had moved there, causing the waves. Maybe one of the icebergs had collapsed? But that couldn't be it, for the waves were moving...

Towards the UN fleet. Towards the Aircraft Carrier.

Fuyutsuki moved as fast as he could, climbing down the observation post and running to the Command Bridge. He entered the Command room and found the Captain of the ship along with the Admiral, both men talking calmly. There were two other crew members and three armed guards. The Sub Commander quickly strode to the Admiral and the Captain, his urgent expression taking them by surprise.

"Sub Commander Fuyutsuki, what is it that's..." the Admiral started to say, but Fuyutsuki cut him short.

"We are under attack!" Fuyutsuki announced "Get the fleet ready for battle!"

"What!" the Admiral and the Captain chorused "That's impossible, Commander Fuyutsuki," the Admiral tried to calm the old professor "Any threat to this fleet would have been picked up by our radars a long time ago!"

"You don't need the radar to see this!" Fuyutsuki snapped, pointing ahead. The three men looked front and saw that the waves were coming closer by the second, pointing that something very large was coming to them "There's no artificial life here! If your sensors haven't picked this up, is because it's a stealth machine!"

The Admiral immediately snapped into action. He quickly ordered all the ships to enter battle mode, disposing them to face the threat in a tight formation, always keeping the Aircraft Carrier protected. Minutes went by while the ships aligned themselves, and the still unknown threat approached with the speed of doom.

"Ready all the depth charges!" the Captain ordered "We'll get this bastard down to the bottom of the ocean!"

Two armoured cruisers and one of the destroyers placed themselves at the front, reading their heavy cannons to open fire in a minute. The other two destroyers placed themselves at the sides of the frontlines and used their depth charges to destroy the coming threat. Torpedoes cut the water and loud explosions came when they reached the coming waves.

"That's it!" the Admiral exclaimed "We did it!"

"It must have been a small submarine, maybe for recon or espionage," the Captain conjectured "Still, there is no doubt it's been destroyed."

The Admiral agreed instantly, but Fuyutsuki wasn't so sure. You didn't become Sub Commander of one of the most secretive organizations on Earth without becoming suspicious of everything. Even though the Captain's guess did make sense, he still felt unsettled. He didn't think the unknown party would have gone to such extremes just to do some recognition. No, there had to be more to this.

Fuyutsuki's fears were confirmed just one second later. The water under the first destroyer started to revolve, creating waves all around the gray steel. The crew of the destroyer moved swiftly, ready to face the unknown attacker; yet there was fear in every face. It seemed as if one grand sea monster was about to emerge from the lake. There was a huge wave of water and the amphibious Metal Gear RAY came from the deepness of the lake and stood tall over the destroyer's deck. With its large tail, shapely head, long arms and powerful, almost organic legs, Metal Gear RAY looked like a monster, a dinosaur created by mankind.

"That's...that's a Metal Gear!" the Admiral shouted in surprise.

"Open fire!" the Captain of the carrier ordered to his comrades in the Destroyer. He really didn't have the authority to issue such a command, but the Admiral seemed in stunned shock and he was the next in the chain of command.

Metal Gear RAY was faster. The huge robot opened its mouth and unleashed hell on the Destroyer's deck with its water cannon, destroying the ship's heavy weapons and causing large explosions that took the lives of many soldiers. RAY used its tail and hit the deck, making the whole ship tremble and sending many men to the water. One of the armoured cruisers aimed its cannons at the Metal Gear, ready to blow it to pieces. RAY jumped off the Destroyer's deck and dove to the red seas again, disappearing in a matter of seconds and thus avoiding any chance of getting hit.

"Use the depth charges now!" the Admiral shouted "And contact our base on Miyazaki! Tell them we are under attack!"

"It's not good!" one of the crewmen yelled "Our communications have been jammed!"

"Wha...!" Fuyutsuki gasped. The level of power needed to override NERV and the UN's digital intelligence was simply unattainable 'Unless it's the Patriots... or Big Boss... if so, we're doomed...'

The red seas seemed to explode, with all the front ships using their depths charges to destroy the sneaky Metal Gear RAY. The first destroyer, the Katsuda, moved ahead and took point, with two cruisers covering it in a tight formation. Against the three ships, RAY was outmatched by their massive firepower.

"What the...?" a crewman stammered, looking outside with binoculars. He had long realized that radars and scanners were useless against this enemy "Dammit, they've got stealth fighter jets too! Incoming!"

His words proved true seconds later. Five fighter aircrafts appeared out of nowhere and opened fire on one of the battle cruisers, causing tremendous explosions that killed many of the men aboard. The other battle cruiser reacted fast, sending a barrage of surface to air missiles that followed the rogue planes and disappeared between the greenish skies. It was then when one of the destroyers, the Kotzua, suddenly started to sink without warning. The ship's alarms could be heard all over from the Aircraft Carrier. Metal Gear RAY emerged from under the ship, crippling it with ease. The huge robot had attacked from underwater, using its superior agility and firepower to strike fast and deal a deadly blow. And then, another Metal Gear RAY jumped over the first Destroyer, which had given pursuit to the rogue jets with anti aircraft fire. Together, the two Metal Gears stroke fast, opening fire and then diving into the water as the stealth aircrafts returned for another barrage of vicious fire.

It was a loosing battle, and Fuyutsuki knew it. Truth to be told, neither he or Gendo had thought about the chance of the fleet being attacked like this; besides, the technology needed to perform such an audacious maneuver simply ruled out every possible enemy. Only the most advanced countries could do something like that, and they were all in coalition with NERV. Seeing one of the armoured cruisers sink due to a lucky hit on the aircrafts' part, Fuyutsuki felt a stab of dread. This people, whoever they were, were going to get NERV's Sub Commander under their power. He was almost sure they were the same that had attacked the Commander. A third RAY emerged from the water, joining the others in their strike and run tactics, causing mayhem in the fleet and forcing them to break formation. The Admiral quickly retook control and formed a tight formation with the Aircraft Carrier in the back, obviously trying to avoid the RAYs to attack the carrier from underwater.

It was then than one of the Metal Gear RAY made a bold move and jumped high, vaulting over one of the battle cruisers and landing over the nearest Destroyer, the enormous Kurasawa. But instead of targeting the ship, RAY's head turned and aimed at the Aircraft Carrier.

"Everyone clear the bridge!" the Captain shouted, seeing the enormous Metal Gear take aim. He didn't need to repeat himself: everyone ran as fast as they could, going downstairs and trying to get as far from the impact zone as possible. Not only did they have to avoid getting hit, but the debris that would fall after the explosion as well.

A huge metallic howl came as RAY's water cannon fired upon the Command Bridge, reducing it to scrap in seconds and totally crushing the structure. The survivors didn't have any other option than run to the deck; there was no way to get to the lower levels with the Bridge collapsed over all the entry points.

Coughing loudly and deafened by the attack, Fuyutsuki made it to the carrier's deck next to the Admiral and several soldiers and crew members that had survived. The ship's captain hadn't been so lucky: he had helped his superior to escape and died as a result of the collapsing bridge. But as the smoke cleared and Fuyutsuki regained his sight and hear, he realized the worst hadn't come yet.

In the frenzy of the battle, all the carrier's escort ships had advanced to face the RAYs, creating a semicircle in front of the large ship that held the most important cargo. It was because of that that a small ship, almost a boat, had been able to approach the carrier. It was a bold move, one that had the potential to be a huge failure, which was the trait that made it succeed. No one had expected that. The small ship had a strange hull, which Fuyutsuki deduced was made from stealth materials. The ship had been specifically designed to move undetected, and now it was clear why: the attackers had boarded the Aircraft Carrier.

Fuyutsuki then saw through the terrorist schemes. The attacks had been nothing but a distraction. With the entire fleet in full combat mode, the carrier was open to a small sneaking unit. And, true to his suspicions, the RAYs quickly focused on the other ships, leaving the carrier alone.

"It's a trap!" the Sub Commander shouted.

But it was too late. The sound of footsteps could be heard over the deck; calm steps that rang loudly, as if the walker was wearing heavy boots.

One man appeared on the carrier's deck with fateful calmness. He was old, already in his seventies. And yet, he seemed to be in prime physical condition. He was wearing fatigues and a long brown trenchcoat, and his silver hair was long and tied behind his back. A thick moustache graced his face, but his eyes were blocks of ice.

Five armed soldiers on the deck pointed their guns at him, intent on killing him on the spot, but the old man was way too fast for them. He drew a revolver with his right hand and shot five times, killing the five men in literally milliseconds. Neither Fuyutsuki nor the other crew members had ever seen someone so fast.

"Who are you!" the Admiral yelled at the intruder. But Fuyutsuki already knew the answer. He had seen this very same old man in NERV just a few weeks ago.

"I am Shalashaska!" the man announced "Also called, Revolver..."

"Ocelot," Fuyutsuki said along with the terrorist.

Ocelot was soon joined by a heavily armoured team that took positions hastily, pointing their guns at the Sub Commander and the Carrier's crew. Now the terrorists outnumbered the UN soldiers in the deck, having the tactic advantage over all the important spots as well. Fuyutsuki realized they had taken the carrier over in secrecy, only to show themselves when it was too late for the UN fleet to do anything.

"What do you want?" Fuyutsuki demanded to know. He was already too old and his conscience was way too dirty to care much about dying; asking questions didn't particularly scare him.

"This artefact will be quite useful," Ocelot answered, pointing at the Lance of Longinus, which lay tied up next to them in the carrier's deck.

"What are you planning to do, steal this thing?" Fuyutsuki realized this had been the terrorists' plan all along. It was the only thing he could come up with; he had originally thought that they were going to kidnap him now that he was far from the Geo Front, but this made much more sense.

"You might put it that way," Ocelot smirked. It was the coldest facial expression Fuyutsuki had seen in his entire life "I'm taking it, yes... to Outer Heaven!"

"Outer Heaven!" Fuyutsuki exclaimed "How's that possible!"

Ocelot grinned again. He looked completely calm, even with several UN soldiers aiming their guns at him. Fuyutsuki knew they were beaten this time. He only hoped to get out of here alive just to inform of what had happened. Only a miracle could make him and the UN forces get the upper hand right now.

That thought was dashed a few seconds later. Ocelot raised his hand and showed all the UN and JSSDF soldiers a remote controller. His index finger was just inches from the trigger.

"Nobody moves, understand?" the Russian spy said out loud, mockery in his tone "This ship carries enough Semtex in its key structural points to blow it out of the water at the touch of this button!" everyone took an involuntary step backwards after hearing his words. Ocelot grinned again "That's right; no one has to die needlessly."

All the UN crew could do now was grit their teeth in silence.

"We are almost at the target. Get a move on!" Ocelot ordered. The mercenaries hurried to comply, releasing all the locks on the Lance and cutting all the steel ropes that kept it tied. Around them, everyone was dead silent. On the other ships, the battle had ended. All the other vessels had ceased fire when they saw that the flagship and its commanders were caught. That and the fact that they were outmatched.

"Do you have any idea of what you're doing?" Fuyutsuki hissed. Ocelot turned to look at him with cold eyes "Do you have any idea of the way this will change everything? Of how dangerous that artefact truly is?"

Ocelot walked towards the Sub Commander with long, slow strides. His eyes flashed with coldness as he stared right into Fuyutsuki's face.

"I have a quite clear idea of how dangerous that artefact is," Ocelot spoke slowly "And unlike you, I do have an idea of what this will spur. I'm not a scientist like you and your precious Commander are. You're too in love with the sound of your own voice to speak the truth."

Outer Heaven's commandoes finished releasing the Lance and Ocelot made a call with his codec. A couple of minutes later, a huge cargo chopper appeared and remained flying over the Aircraft Carrier, while all the mercenaries worked feverishly to secure the Lance and tie it to the helicopter.

"You are nothing but idiots that found they had too much power in their hands," Ocelot said while the final preparations were made "You were far too engrossed in your findings to think that someone could stop you. I shouldn't be surprised; all scientists tend to think no one can beat them. Your arrogance is your worst sin," the Lance of Longinus was lifted from the Carrier and several other helicopters appeared, some of them landing in the carrier to take Outer Heaven's men into safety and some others to secure the Lance from the air. Watching them, Fuyutsuki knew without the shadow of a doubt that a massive stealth ship should be nearby, big enough to carry thousands of troopers as well as many Metal Gear RAYs, and equipped with a landing deck for aircrafts. The technology needed for that was simply astounding; the concept was so audacious that only one country had done it, and that was only under direct orders from the Patriots.

"You have an Arsenal Gear nearby, don't you?" Fuyutsuki asked darkly to the older man standing in front of him. Ocelot looked at him with surprise and amusement in his eyes.

"You are a smart man, Sub Commander. What a surprise," Ocelot smirked "Indeed, we have an Arsenal Gear class ship in our power. But we prefer to call it 'Outer Haven.' Don't worry; we'll make sure you get quite acquainted with it."

Ocelot made hand gesture and several of his men came and took Fuyutsuki away, leading him to one of the helicopters. NERV's Sub Commander took it with elegance: he walked by himself and didn't show the least sign of fear. Ocelot was quite impressed at the man's resolve. Shaking his head, the old Russian soldier got a small comm. link from his coat and contacted Big Boss.

"King," Ocelot said "The mission was a complete success."

"Excellent," Big Boss' voice came from the other end "And what about the Sub Commander?"

"In our custody," Ocelot said smugly "It was quite easy, I'd say. NERV is made of scientists, after all. They have no idea how to deal with experienced generals."

"Make sure no one knows we did this until we reveal ourselves."

"Yes Boss, no one in the UN will know about us stealing the Lance. They'll think it was the Patriots that did this. After all, the Patriots still run all the western countries as of now."

"We'll loose our cover when we release Kozou Fuyutsuki, exactly one week from now. Until then, all evidence must be destroyed. Sink those ships, Ocelot. As for the surviving enemy soldiers, imprison them. With time, we'll get them on our side."

"Yes king," Ocelot smirked "After all, Outer Haven has plenty of room for prisoners."

"Good," Big Boss said "Gray Fox and Vamp are already making progress in their missions. We are one step away from rebuilding Outer Heaven. One step away of ending this SEELE fools for good."

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Standing outside Tokyo 3's school, Mana Kirishima was ready to start her mission. She had been raised and trained by the JSSDF ever since she was a little girl, sharpened into a weapon by the cold military. The reason had been the TRIDENT Project, now scrapped; it was that project that had meant a prison for her and her two best friends, Musashi Lee Strasberg and Keita Asari. The harsh training, the uncaring adults, the way she'd been treated, all of that had made her hate the JSSDF with a passion like no other. Mana was, all in all, a prisoner. A child soldier in a country that claimed to be above such barbarities. But she couldn't escape her prison. The JSSDF was too much for her to handle.

Until she met Big Boss. The man was legend. Mana, like everyone else in the military, had grown hearing tales about him and Solid Snake. She never thought she'd meet him, and that he would take an interest in her and free her from her captors' grasp. Using his newly formed spy network, Big Boss had destroyed the TRIDENT Project and thus released her from her greatest cage; and then he had made sure to erase all records of Mana in the JSSDF. She was free.

So, Mana accepted working for him the second he suggested the idea. Truth was, she didn't know anything else. She was a spy, forcibly shaped into a tool of war, and as such common life was now out of her reach. She didn't belong to regular people anymore, she didn't understand them. She was different, a spy, a soldier. A soldier without a home.

Outer Heaven was there for her. It was her refuge, her only home. And in there she met all kind of men, women and even other children that only knew war as a way of life. Big Boss was in command, and it was fitting: he was like them, a man that couldn't put his gun down. A man that couldn't live any other way.

A hidden codec rang in her ear and Mana switched it on. Her mission had just started.

"Mana," Big Boss' voice greeted her. The teenage girl always found solace in his sandpapery voice "What's your status?"

"I'm outside the school, Boss," Mana said "Ready to go in and complete my mission."

"Good," Big Boss said "But remember, keep a low profile for now. We don't want you to get more attention that you should. Just get in the class and try to make some friends; we'll move on to other things later on."

"Got it," Mana said "Get in the class and make friends. The easiest mission I've ever had."

"Not quite," Big Boss countered "Remember, NERV keeps that class under a tight watch, and not just because of the three pilots, but because every possible Evangelion pilot candidate is there as well. You'll be under constant watch from them. Stay on your toes."

"And collect all the information on the pilots and pilot candidates that I can," Mana completed, reciting her mission objectives "Don't worry Boss, you can count on me."

"I'm sure I can."

.

"So Shinji, did you hear the news?" Kensuke Aida, classmate of Shinji Ikari and otaku asked his friend "A new transfer student is coming here today."

"Really? That's odd," Shinji mused absently "I mean, with all the attacks and alerts, not many people should be coming here..."

"Yeah, well, I hope she's cute," Touji Suzuhara, the other of Shinji's two friends said with a dreamy face "Last time we got Soryu, so this new student better compensate for it!"

Hikari's call for order in the class kept the redhead from beating the boy up.

"All rise!" Hikari said as the teacher entered the room "Bow! Be seated!"

"Good morning," the elderly teacher said "Before we start today's class, I'd like you to greet our new student. Please make her feel welcome. Come in, Miss Kirishima."

A cute girl entered the class with a pleasant smile on her face. Short chestnut hair surrounded her nicely featured face and shining grey eyes. Although not a dazzling beauty, she was definitely attractive, and her smile quickly got the male half of the class' attention. In her seat, Asuka sulked. She hated anyone capable of getting so much attention so easily. The new girl got a piece of chalk and wrote her name on the blackboard "My name is Mana Kirishima," she said sweetly "Pleased to meet all of you."

"Miss Kirishima, please take a sit..." the teacher said, looking for an empty space in the classroom. Truth to be told, the room was full of them, with all the students that had left due to the attacks "There. Next to Ikari."

Shinji gasped as Touji cursed his friend's luck silently. Mana took her seat next to him and gently said:

"You must be Ikari. Nice to meet you."

Shinji could only stammer a reply, while Asuka grunted silently behind him. Mana smiled at the young boy's stutters.

"You are cute," she said, making him blush.

No matter whatever Big Boss said, Mana couldn't help but think this was an assignment as easy as they came. Although, oddly enough, she did find the young Ikari cute.

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SPLASH.

Cold water hit Solid Snake straight on his face, soaking him, bringing him back from a drug induced sleep to find out that things were definitely bad. That's quite an obvious conclusion when you find out that you are half naked in a dark dirty room, hanging from the ceiling through your handcuffed wrists, high enough for your toes to grace the floor but not enough for you to be able to put some weight on them.

"You are awake at last," a cold voice said in the darkness. Snake raised his head and his vision started to get clear, seeing now figures in what used to be a dark blur.

Hanging from the ceiling and soaked with cold water, Solid Snake was now facing one Commander Gendo Ikari that looked as cold as always. Still dizzy from all the drugs that had been pumped into his body, Snake faced the Commander with no fear. It wasn't the first time something like this happened; getting caught was well between the risks of being a spy. He'd simply hold on to life for as long as he could, and that would be it. There would be no fear, no doubt.

"Solid Snake," the Commander said clearly, his calm voice thundering inside the dark room even though he had spoken normally "You are the founder and main operative of a terrorist organization that has destroyed countless advanced weapons as well as ruining technological developments over the years. And now you are held as the responsible for the attacks on NERV that were perpetrated five days ago. You are going to tell me all about your implication in the attacks on NERV five days ago, whether by your own will or by coercion."

Snake snorted. Did this man really think he could scare him? He had faced torture at the hands of Big Boss, Gray Fox and Revolver Ocelot... a scientist wasn't particularly scary to a man that had made a life of fighting and warfare. His sight now clear, Snake saw that the Commander was holding a long rod with his left hand. The right one was stuffed into his jacket. Looking closely, he saw that the rod seemed charged with electricity.

"Frying me to get your answers, huh?" Snake chuckled mirthlessly "I would have thought you'd come up with something more original than that..."

Gendo frowned. He was a very strong man, but he had grown unused to people defying him so bluntly over the years.

"I'm sure you are strong enough to endure," he finally said, keeping his eyes fixed on Snake's "But I have news for you. You are no Prisoner of War. No one knows you are here. No one cares to know. There's no Geneva Convention, no Vatican Treaty, and no one coming to save you. Resistance serves no purpose now; you will tell me all I want to know until I cease having a use for you."

Snake said nothing.

"Who are you working with?" the Commander asked with a dead tone. He wouldn't ask what was more important first. He had to play dumb for a while and ask random things, just for the prisoner to ignore what he really wanted. A skilled interrogator hides what he knows and ignores. That way, the prisoner is unable to figure what the interrogator is truly looking for, and thus his ability to lie is greatly diminished.

"I work alone," Snake said, his voice calm as well, even though it was hoarse from his more than unpleasant conditions.

"You lie," Ikari rebuked instantly "The extent of your actions alone speaks of a highly organized team at least. I am a scientist, and as such I will only accept answers that make sense. Who are you working with?"

"I always work alone," Snake grunted, facing the Commander with a harsh glare "Others would only complicate things."

"Five days ago, an attack was perpetrated on this base," the Commander grunted "You took part in it. Who are your partners? Who are you working with?"

"An... attack?" Snake asked, now very confused. He knew the Commander couldn't be talking about the Angel he had faced, which meant someone else had attacked NERV at the time... had he failed? Had Ocelot hit NERV, just as he and Otacon had feared? But as of now, he didn't have any answers for the cold Commander of NERV.

"I see," Gendo said, displeased with his prisoner's silence. He raised his electric rod and looked at Snake in the eye, the crackling of the rod's electricity resonating through the dirty room.

Snake said nothing.

ZZZZZZZZZZT!

A loud scream of pain was heard in the small cell as electricity went through the mercenary's body. The darkness receded then, erased by sparkling bluish light, and a crackling sound joined Snake's screams, doubling the luridness of the scene. Light and dark danced for a while, with screams as the background music. And then, there was only darkness again.

Snake's panting could be heard in the darkness, but that was it.

"You spoke with the Third Child weeks ago," Ikari said, switching topics with ease. It was a simple tactic to catch the prisoner off guard when returning to the real questions. Gendo didn't care all that much about what Solid Snake could have said to his son: so long as it didn't affect his scenario, Shinji's life wasn't his problem. But it was better to ask, since he could always hear something interesting in response.

'You won't even call your son by his name, huh' Snake mused grimly. It wasn't a surprise the kid was so messed up: his own father didn't seem to care enough to acknowledge him as a human being, even despite the fact that he was risking his life to save mankind. Having those thoughts in mind, Snake wasn't prone to being polite with Ikari "What if I did?"

"What did you talk with the Third Child when you first found him?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Snake dared, looking at the Commander straight in the eye. For a moment, the situation seemed reverted, as if the mercenary were the one interrogating the Commander, while the latter lost his aura of power and hesitated for the first time. But that didn't last. Gendo raised his electric rod and increased the voltage, looking as calm as ever.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!

Another harsh scream filled the air, and the sparkling light returned to the cell. Shadows moved away, the only static one being the Commander's, who held the rod over Snake's chest with cold anger. The screams and lights lasted for some time, and then faded again.

Silence and darkness fell again, joined with harsh panting.

"Who is the spy? Who was the one who spoke? How did your people know when and where to strike?"

"I... don't know... what you're talking about..." Snake wanted to curse loudly. This was the bad side of being a spy: he really didn't know what Ikari was talking about, but his denial meant nothing to the man. Anyone would suspect he was just refusing to talk instead of actually saying the truth...

"Are you in coalition with SEELE?"

That was something, Snake thought fervently. It was the first thing he'd heard that pinpointed the Commander's real intentions, although it could very well be just another trap...

"SEELE? No... I... I'm on my own. I haven't worked with anyone in years..."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!

The pain returned. The Commander stood impassive before the man he was torturing. He let the torture last longer this time.

Snake's head fell as the pain stopped. He was starting to loose consciousness.

"Who are you working with?"

His voice sounded cold, dead. It was the voice of a desperate person, someone that had lost far too much already and had managed to get a hold of himself before drifting into madness. But that was his undoing, as his own drive was what made him obsessed, dead save for his goals.

Snake knew he could never say a thing about his allies. Should he talk, Otacon, Mei Ling, Nastasha Romanenko and several other Philanthropy members and contacts would be screwed. He was almost sure the Commander was looking for something else, but he wasn't going to take chances. He had to keep his mouth shut.

"...I've got nothing to say..." the mercenary panted.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!

The electricity came back suddenly, with no warning whatsoever. Snake let out a harsh yell of pain as his body felt like being burned, agony going through every nerve. He spasmed and twitched, but there was nothing to be done. The Commander relented after a long time.

Gendo knew he couldn't push things much farther. What he had done was far more than any normal man could endure. The fact that Snake was still alive was simply incredible. He knew the mercenary would loose consciousness anytime now; now was the time to ask what really mattered here. Snake was weak, his defences were all spent, and the truth serums Doctor Akagi had given him while unconscious should do the rest to wear him off. Now was the time for the truth.

"Where is ADAM?"

For all his efforts, the Commander got the same answer. He hadn't been this frustrated in years. It was maddening.

"You want to kill me?... Fine, just up the voltage... it doesn't change the fact that I don't know anything about what you're asking."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!

Snake shook violently while the powerful current went through his body. Finally the buzzing sound ended; although this time the pain did not diminish in the slightest. Or maybe it did, maybe it was that his mind was simply overloaded with all the harshness he had been forced to endure. Snake's body started to give up, going into unconsciousness while everything around him became a dark blur once again. And yet, as he passed out, he though he could hear the Commander sigh in distress...

"I don't understand...!" the voice sounded distant, low and distorted "Yui..."

.

.

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**Author Notes 2:**

And so Chapter 4 ends. I hope you liked it. The scene where Gendo tortures Snake was inspired both on Ocelot's torture in Metal Gear Solid 1 and Strangelove's torture in Metal Gear Peace Walker. To tell you the truth, it was the hardest thing I wrote so far. I didn't want to make it horrible, but this is torture we're talking about, and that in itself is disturbing. Still, it was necessary for the plot to move on. Basically, Gendo is a desperate man that will do anything to get answers, and he certainly isn't' above torture to get what he wants. But in the end, he confirmed that Snake actually knew nothing about ADAM and therefore isn't his enemy.

The battle for the Lance of Longinus wasn't easy to write as well. I used some of the Falklands' war aircraft tactics in there, but the Metal Gear RAY part was directly taken form Metal Gear Solid 4. In the end, it became far larger than what I originally had in mind.

Many, many thanks to you for reading. I sincerely hope that you liked this. If you did, or if you want to point out anything, please leave a review and tell me what you think. I'm counting on your support to keep going.

Devil Boss


	7. Exposure

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own any of the characters from the Evangelion and Metal Gear Solid universes; they belong to Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, GAINAX Studios, Hideo Kojima, Shoji Shinkawa, Kojima Productions and Konami Studios.

**Author Notes:**

Well, I'm finally back. I know it took me almost one month to update, but college was killing me this past weeks, and I couldn't find any free time to write. Still, this chapter was supposed to be bigger than this. I had to cut stuff from it, since otherwise it would have been far too long for my tastes. The rest will go to the next chapter, which means that I'll definitely update faster next time.

I'm really glad you liked Mana Kirishima's appearance on this story. I wasn't sure how'd that be taken, but the response was good and that's great. More characters will appear, but I'll mainly stick to the main characters and not on the backup ones. In a way, that's unfortunate. I did write scripts for almost all of them, going from Mana to Meryl, Mari Makinami, Kaji, Gray Fox, Raiden and even Liquid Snake, but to include that here would make the fic insanely large, aside from hampering the pace of the story. I did write a bit about them in which I'll probably post as spin offs, but as of now I'll stick to the main characters to keep the fic going.

I can only give my deepest thanks to those of you who reviewed. To anyone else that likes this, please comment as well. I'm open to any kind of feedback and take everything you say into account; you encourage me to keep going with every comment you make.

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**Chapter 5: Exposure**

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Heading out of the classroom for lunch break, Mana Kirishima mused that no one - no one - had warned about the dangers this mission had. That old teacher rambling about Second Impact for hours was just as deadly as a gun pointed to your head. She had actually believed she was going to die of boredom.

Mana recalled the class representative, Hikari Horaki, offering her to show her around school and introducing her to some friends and classmates. The offer had been just perfect for her, so she followed the class rep to the schoolyard in silence.

"Hi, Horaki," Mana greeted the pigtailed girl with a pleasant smile.

"Oh, Kirishima, I was looking for you," Hikari smiled "Come on, I'll introduce you to some friends."

Both girls walked around school for a while, with Hikari introducing Mana to some people and telling her where things were in the building. Mana kept a pleasant smile on the outside, although her mind was racing on the inside. She had pondered about following Ikari around, since the boy was shy and certainly wouldn't reject her, but in the end she was here for the pilot candidates and not the NERV employees. Agent Kaji was the one in charge of reporting about them, not her. In the end, knowing everything about the candidates was the essential part of her mission. Mana made sure to remember everything she learned about her classmates: she made sure to recall who were the shy ones, the smart ones, those who tried to get good grades, those who were too lazy for that, those who only cared about the other sex, and so on. So far, she had been disappointed. No one here seemed to have what it takes to fight for Big Boss. Hikari seemed quite capable; she handled her position of class representative well and everyone seemed to care for her, but Mana deeply doubted someone who lived by the book in every way. That spoke of a weak mind, of someone who didn't dare to question others, or at least a person that would never take the path to rebellion. And Big Boss was a terrorist. Mana sighed. She was looking for a special kind of people, and that was hard to find.

'Be watchful of the ones who can do something but don't,' Big Boss had said to her once 'That's because they usually have a reason for that, which makes them even more capable than others.'

Yeah, good luck with that. Big Boss could be so frustrating sometimes.

"Lets sit here," Hikari said after a while, pointing a bench under a tree "Asuka usually eats with me, but it seems she decided to eat somewhere else today..."

'So, you are a friend of Soryu...' Mana mused silently. This was something interesting to report. A friendship was important, since it could be used to help or to cause harm. It represented a bond, and a tie. It was good and bad at the same time.

Making small talk with Hikari was easy. Mana was a natural at this, which was why she had been trusted with this kind of mission. She could be in people's good graces with little effort, breaking past even the most shy people's shells with her calm and nice demeanour. It wasn't long before both girls were happily chatting about movies, which things they liked and which boys were cute. Oddly enough, Hikari shared her opinion of Shinji being cute. Mana slowly let herself ease into her new role, relaxing into her mission with each comment and joke.

It was then that she noticed Shinji Ikari, standing about fifty feet away. But he wasn't alone. Two other boys, obviously older than him, were cornering him, stepping up threateningly. Focusing on them, Mana picked up that apparently Shinji had destroyed one of their houses in his last sortie.

The boys' yelling grew and Hikari finally noticed them. The class rep stood up, ready to intervene, when someone else got into the argument.

"Hey, you, asshole!" a voice shouted behind the two threatening boys "Why don't you leave him alone and mess with someone your size!"

The two bullies turned around to find a tall, angry looking Touji Suzuhara.

"Suzuhara!" Hikari hissed lowly, stunned, watching intently with Mana at her side. The spy was paying close attention as well, hoping to see something interesting. She realized that Horaki was looking with a strange look, certainly not the angry, all business class rep look she used... why was that? And she hadn't stepped in to stop the fight, too stunned to move. It was clear that she didn't have any real experience dealing with fights that went this far. That was logical, though. She was too educated to be used to such things. Mana took in the situation. Ikari was as surprised as the rest, and it was clear he wasn't about to use his chance to attack the bullies from behind. That was either due to hesitation or due to lack of training, Mana couldn't pinpoint which. The bullies didn't look very impressed; they quickly walked closer to Shinji's friend talking threateningly.

"You freaking faggot, you better walk away if you know what's good for y..." the bully didn't have time to finish his sentence.

Touji didn't give the boy any time to react, quickly throwing a low roundhouse kick that hit him behind the knee and made him stumble. He quickly kneed the bully in the face, leaving his face full of blood. The boy rolled aside and stood up again, blindly charging and throwing a punch to Touji's face, but Touji ducked and quickly punched him in his gut, getting the air out of his lungs. He followed with a hard punch to the boy's nose, effectively taking him out of the fight. Catching Touji by surprise, the other of the bullies grabbed him by his collar and prepared to hit him hard; Touji reacted quickly and grabbed the bully's hand with a reverse grip and strongly twisted counter clockwise, bending his joint and making him gasp and fall to the floor. Shinji's friend didn't hesitate: he punched the bully several times to make sure he wouldn't be getting up soon enough to bother him again, and then he let go of him.

"Touji..." Shinji could only mutter in complete surprise. And yet, his eyes quickly regained a sad tint "Why did you help me?"

"Are you nuts, Shinji?" Touji asked, walking to stand in front of the boy "I'm your friend! Of course I'll kick the ass of any idiot that tries to harass you!" He didn't notice Hikari and Mana watching him from afar. Mana took one second to watch the class rep and saw that indeed she did have a strange look on her face... an almost longing look.

"But they were right," Shinji argued weakly, his hand clenching and unclenching "I got careless and destroyed their houses. They were right to be angry at me, just like you with your sister," Mana quickly paid close attention to that detail.

"Will you drop that already?" Touji asked, exasperation clear in his voice "We already solved our issues about that, okay? It wasn't your fault that my sister got injured in your first sortie, just like it wasn't your fault that you destroyed one of those kids' house."

"I'd be angry if someone destroyed my house and my belongings," Shinji muttered lowly, looking at the downed bullies.

"Still, that doesn't give them the right to push you around like that, Shinji," Touji refuted "They weren't looking for justice, they were looking for revenge. And it wasn't even at you; they just felt bad and tried to use you to feel a little better themselves. I'd kick their asses any other day of the week too!" Shinji shook his head absently, accepting his friend's point. He was starting to get used to this kind of problems, and experience had made him a little more wise regarding the side effects of his piloting.

"If only could you do that with Asuka," Shinji muttered with a small smile, actually showing some humour "But she's a girl."

"I keep saying that she's not!" Touji argued, making big hand gestures "I maintain that she's a spawn of the devil himself and therefore able to shift forms as she sees fit!" and, just like that, he was laughing like nothing ever happened.

Watching Hikari walk to the boys to scold them, Mana decided that this was definitely interesting. Touji Suzuhara had become an enigma to her now, someone that she had to figure out. He had a sister that had been injured in the first Angel battle... that was something of extreme importance, which she would investigate with care. And he was a good fighter. While it was clear he was no martial arts expert, the boy did seem to have a certain degree of dexterity. Mana guessed he had taken some martial arts classes, maybe Karate, and gotten a few belts already. Maybe an orange belt, or a green one. And it was clear he was in very good shape.

All throughout the day, Mana had felt he was little else than an average student; not any smarter than anyone, not very preoccupied with things, nothing worth mentioning about him. But now she wasn't so sure. Not everyone had the courage to attack two guys by himself, and on top of that do it for someone else rather than him. It was clear he had a very strong sense of loyalty... something really commendable and a trait Big Boss would surely appreciate. And he was smarter than it looked too... he could do things no one suspected but instead chose not to.

This would be definitely worth checking. Mana would make sure to learn more about Touji Suzuhara as soon as possible. After all, he could be the perfect candidate to become a member of Big Boss' army.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Commander of Outer Heaven Big Boss walked slowly through a vast underground hangar. Next to him, Second in Command Revolver Ocelot moved silently as well.

Both men were inside a facility built on Mount Fuji by the JSSDF before the construction of Tokyo 2. Formerly a Nuclear Missile base, the Fuji facilities had been used as a deterrent for any country that attempted to attack Japan in the chaos that followed Second Impact. The base was large, intended to withstand nuclear or N2 attacks and to house a large number of troops with no exterior support, and it was strategically perfect since it was only a dozen miles away from Tokyo 2. After the first chaotic years passed and the world regained some semblance of civilization, the JSSDF had left the facilities as a backup for the soon to be born Tokyo 3, although in the end it had been left almost deserted since no one in the JSSDF wanted to be there just to serve as backup for NERV; in short, the vast, deep Fuji facilities had been left almost deserted.

Big Boss had taken command of the base with SEELE's blessing and soon outfitted it to be his main base of operations. Ocelot had been the leader of the world's largest PMCs (Private Military Companies), and their military power had been submitted to Outer Heaven after Big Boss had revived. Now, Big Boss had a large underground base outfitted to launch and withstand Nuclear attacks and fully equipped with an army that outmatched many others on Earth. Worldwide, the joint PMCs armies almost rivalled Germany's, the world's largest military superpower after the Second Impact.

Rows and rows of armoured vehicles filled the hangar. They were M2-A2 Theodore tanks, with a particle weapons cannon and armour that could take a hit from most tanks. They were far lighter and tougher than the previous M1-A1 Abraham, which put them among the deadliest heavy tanks in the world. And, of course, the grand facility did have its own airstrip, which made it possible to use the stealth jet fighters Ocelot had acquired in the past years. As of now, Outer Heaven had fifteen Lockheed Martin F22 Raptors, ten Lockheed Martin F35 Lightning II and five recently developed Sukhoi PAK FA, all of them Fifth Generation Jet Fighters that outmatched pretty much anything in the sky. At the moment, only Germany, Russia and the US had fighters with the same technology.

Just with the aforementioned weapons Outer Heaven's Fuji facilities had an army that could wage war in a large scale against most countries. But the real trump cards were the Metal Gears. The PMCs had tens of thousands of Gekko, and Ocelot had managed to outfit the Fuji base with three hundred of them by taking advantage of all his contacts and permissions as a private military business man. But deep down, far underground, the Fuji base had ten Metal Gear RAY and five Metal Gear REX ready for action. And soon Big Boss would bring N2 mines into the complex, thus making this stronghold completely self sufficient.

The only thing the facility lacked was its own Evangelion Units. Big Boss had already outfitted a huge hangar just for the Units he would be getting soon.

"The time is close, Boss," Ocelot said "SEELE won't buy our excuses for too long now. It is only a matter of time before they turn on us too."

"Yes," Big Boss agreed "The time has come. The spy network has been working on it for months now. Gray Fox is handling the task himself. It's time to take SEELE out for good."

"How do you plan to do that?" Ocelot asked. Big Boss stopped to check some of the tanks in silence "SEELE is far too strong to be eliminated so easily. That council... not even Gendo Ikari is able to get to them."

Still without turning to watch Ocelot, Big Boss started to explain himself.

"Gendo Ikari was always unable to finish the SEELE council because he lacked the power to do so. It takes a full fledged army, influence on all military affairs throughout the world, a full intelligence network and leverage over many countries to defy people that have been in charge of almost all the Eastern Countries over the past decade and a half. Gendo Ikari only has three Evangelion in his hands; he's totally outmatched and he knows it," shaking his head absently, Big Boss started to walk again, with Ocelot going next to him "That's why he resorts to trickery and deception, because he has no other way to beat them. And if the reports our mole gave you on 2004 are correct, then the late Doctor Yui Ikari shared the same problem. She too was unable to face SEELE and therefore chose to play along with them for the time being."

"Still, our spy died on 2005," Ocelot said doubtfully "And we don't know for sure how good her intelligence was. I suspect there was more to Yui Ikari than what she reported."

"We might never know," Big Boss mused, lost in thought. He did remember his mole in SEELE and the soon to be formed GEHRIN, back in the nineties... the woman that had saved him after his disastrous first encounter with Solid Snake "But I always trusted our spy. It's such a shame she died while I was under the Patriots' control. She was a remarkable woman; I see her daughter resembles her in some ways. That temper..." Big Boss shook his head again with a small smile on his lips. He whispered his next sentence "Maybe we could convince her to fight for us one day."

"We might," ocelot said, still doubtful "But we should focus on the task at hand. With SEELE out of the picture, that will only leave Gendo Ikari to take out before erasing all ways to cause Instrumentality. Only then we'll be able to focus on creating an Evangelion task force like you plan."

"Indeed," Big Boss agreed "SEELE must be wiped out within the week."

"But there are no traces of them in any place," Ocelot said, not seeing a way to solve the problem "No way to trace them on the Net, nor in any other secret channels. Every lead on them is another dead end."

"Considering the Patriots' full censorship on the Internet and all digital connections worldwide, storing any information in accessible computers would be a bad idea," Big Boss explained while lightning up a cigar. The flame shone, giving the dull grey around them a yellowish tint. ocelot and Big Boss stood like dark pillars in the place "The spy network I set a few months ago indicates that there is one single mainframe, a single supercomputer that's housed in their most secret facility in Germany with no contact with any outside systems nor networks; basically, a lone supercomputer with no access point save being physically in front of it and having the proper clearance to use it. That computer is the only way to bring the SEELE High Council down; it's the only place on Earth where the true information about who they are and what influences do they have exists."

"And you know of this... supercomputer's location?" Ocelot asked while Big Boss absently blew some smoke. Deep down, this was the genius that Ocelot admired. Big Boss was a mastermind like no other, save perhaps Liquid Snake and Gendo Ikari. Ocelot was another kind of genius, but he could very well appreciate the ability to create incredibly complex scenarios and make every step of them function like clockwork.

"We have a lead," Big Boss answered "As it turns out, Gray Fox himself had it in him, literally speaking. You know he was taken by SEELE after the Shadow Moses incident, to be experimented on. They didn't manage to erase all his memories of his time in their custody and thus he remembers a few images and sounds, which is the only thing an agent of Fox's prowess needs to find them. As soon as he returned to us with ADAM, I sent him to go after SEELE's supercomputer in Germany with all the resources he could need. It's been longer than a week since he left, and he's already made plenty of progress in his mission. The results will come soon... even now, there's nothing SEELE could do to stop us. Fox will keep going on until the mission's done. Those old fools are as good as dead now."

Big Boss took a drag of his cigar and blew the smoke after a few seconds. Next to him, Ocelot remained silent, digesting everything that was being said to him. The fact that Big Boss was telling him this was a testament of his friendship with him; Ocelot only trusted Big Boss and Big Mama, while Big Boss trusted in just as few people as well. Big Boss blew more smoke with a thoughtful look in his eyes. And yet, when he spoke again his voice was strong to the point of harshness.

"Without SEELE in command of the Eastern countries, all remaining factions will try to fill the gap and gain as much power as possible. However, they're all on par with one another with the world's globalization, and therefore will be mostly unable to outdo the others; war will spring, which will only cause more war. And then, they'll turn to us for help. It will be then that we'll expand our influence on this world gone soft. My dream of a world where soldiers have a place will come true then; balance will be restored in the end, with a new world order to erase the old one. Using the PMCs, we will interfere in every conflict, gaining more influence than the Patriots themselves. With the PMCs under our control and engaged in battles all over the world, we will be powerful enough to be able to focus solely on NERV, mindless of the Patriots' interference. Money will flow to us, with all the countries trying to occupy an important position in international affairs and turning to the PMCs founding our war against NERV."

"The Japanese won't be happy with us," Ocelot argued. Big Boss' plan was outstanding, but bold. And right now, they were in no position to make mistakes; the Patriots were looking for them, NERV was looking for them, and after SEELE fell everyone else would look for them. One small mistake would be the death of Outer Heaven, sending their plans decades back. And neither man had decades of life left in them "They only let us set up this base here because of SEELE's persuasion. Once the council is destroyed, we'll loose our political support, and they won't want a heavily armed military base right in the middle of their country. Once we destroy SEELE, the Japanese will come here to destroy us in turn..."

Big Boss kept smoking for some time, and then regarded Ocelot with a focused gaze.

"The Japanese Government has way too much in their hand to worry about us. Not only they will have to deal with the shock of filling SEELE's power gaps, but the cost alone of the war against the Angels puts them in a very precarious position as well. And they won't be able to turn to other countries for help, since doing so would only attract the Patriots here and they won't want to loose their newlyfound influence. In the end, Outer Heaven will be regarded as a mercenary nation, a base for the PMCs, and treated accordingly as such. And the Japanese will need PMCs if they want to keep order; in the end, they'll end up as our costumers as well. No, it will be a while before they dare to face us. Only when they feel more secure will they attack us. But it will be too late for that when they do; we will have full control of a military that outmatches their own, as well as nuclear and N2 bombs, influence over many powerful countries, our own Seventh Generation computers that will outspeed theirs and, of course, our own Evangelion Units to give us the ultimate advantage on the battlefield. No, the Japanese will break."

"Vamp has already infiltrated NERV's Second Branch. Soon, Units 03 and 04 will be ours," Ocelot started "But still, having the Evangelions wont do any good without all the maintenance and support crews to aid us. Our scientists are prepared to work with Metal Gears; Evangelion technology is unknown to us."

Big Boss nodded, conceding the point. But as usual, he already had a contingency plan for that.

"Of course, in order to understand Evangelion technology, we must acquire the proper scientists and technicians to do so. Dr. Naomi Hunter is already on her way here as we speak, as well as the few SEELE technicians that we'll be able to convince to work for us after we erase the old fools. However, I feel we need a NERV member to work for us as well if we are to use the Evangelions to full advantage."

"But there are no traitors in NERV," Ocelot refuted thoughtfully "No one willing to work with us. They see us as terrorists."

"There will likely be one soon," Big Boss mused "Gray Fox reported he entered the Geo Front thanks to an upper level technician's mistake. As soon as Gendo Ikari finds out, that technician will be out of a job and most likely assassinated. I think he'll make a perfect candidate for our needs."

"I see..." Ocelot said, caressing his moustache with his fingers "I'll have agent Kaji work on that. We'll see what he can find out."

Big Boss nodded. Both men remained quiet for some time.

"And the little girl?" Ocelot finally asked "Is she in place?"

"Already there," Big Boss smirked. He had always liked children "She entered Tokyo 3's school today, and already started to befriend some classmates. Looks like we were right to trust her abilities."

Ocelot smirked. Spies were a special kind of person, and he knew Mana Kirishima was like that. Big Boss knew it too, of course. Women in particular had a knack for that; deceiving others in such a way that it was impossible to discern truth from lies, or adopt a whole new personality altogether only to dismiss it later on... Eva, one of the founders of the Patriots and one of Big Boss' best allies, was exactly like that too. And while some people would consider Big Boss using a teenager like that to be barbaric, they didn't understand that the girl was incapable of doing something else. The JSSDF had shaped her into a spy and a soldier, and she could never have a normal life again. Big Boss had simply given her a home and a purpose to fight.

"Everything is set then," Ocelot said reflectively "All the players are in place, as well as all the pieces. The game will have to start."

"Yes, the time has come," Big Boss nodded gravely "The war starts today. Send the tape to Gendo Ikari. It's time we reveal ourselves to him."

"The war will start now," Ocelot said, nodding "The time for subterfuge is over. There will be no peace for us after this."

Big Boss kept silent, looking lost in thought. Both men knew this was a turning point in events. They had been lying and hiding for a long time, readying their conspiracy, and now it was time to come out of hiding and start the real fight. Big Boss' eye became present again and he threw his cigar away. The small, cylinder shaped object lost its flame and became nothing but garbage.

"Peace won't come to us. We're gonna have to go meet it halfway."

"That makes us criminals, Boss. You aware of that?"

"We will be whatever the times demand from us. Revolutionaries, criminals, terrorists, sinners," Big Boss said with a harsh look and a deep voice "And yes, we may be headed straight to hell. But what better place for us than this? It's our only home. Our heaven and our hell. This is Outer Heaven."

"I'm with you, Boss," Ocelot said as Big Boss turned around and started to walk away "We'll see how it turns out, together."

"Ocelot," Big Boss said, stopping a few feet ahead, only half turning to glance at his Second in Command with his remaining eye "The hunt is on, and the whole world's on our tail. Assemble the men!"

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Captain Misato Katsuragi walked angrily through the Geo Front's empty corridors. She was going deeper and deeper into Central Dogma, heading for Commander Ikari's office. The man was certainly reserved, but she was his damned Operations Director and therefore she needed to know things to work efficiently.

Like everyone else in the base, she had been shocked a few hours ago when she learned that Sub Commander Kozou Fuyutsuki had been kidnapped. Section 2 was working on every detail, trying to detect any leaks inside NERV. Needless to say, the whole base was on full alert, with everyone talking about who could be doing this to NERV, the only agency capable of defending the world. With Solid Snake in custody, there was no one to blame. And besides, very few on the complex seemed to think he was the one behind all the attacks after footage of his fight with the last Angel had been released.

But unlike them, Misato had a certain suspicion of someone capable of performing such daunting attacks. And the only man that could answer her questions was the one she was going to interrogate now, heedless of his rank. She was sick of being kept in the dark.

Walking past Gendo's secretary - which also had an MP5 assault rifle under her desk - Misato went through the Commander's office doors and walked to him. The door had plenty of security measures, but she was authorized to get past them. The only thing was that she hadn't been summoned and this was a severe show of disrespect.

Which she cared nothing about.

"What is the meaning of this, Captain Katsuragi?" the Commander asked coldly, giving her his famous glare. But his usual pose with his hands linked was gone now. He simply held his chin with his left hand, the stump on his right arm hidden under the desk.

"I've come for answers," Misato went straight to the point, manners be damned "All the things that have been happening were far too organized to be perpetrated by different people, and you know it. First, Revolver Ocelot infiltrating this place and almost killing me, not to mention what could have happened if he kidnapped one of the children. And I know Solid Snake wasn't the responsible of the attack on this base," Misato said "nothing on every file we have about him or Philanthropy says anything about a Cyborg Ninja like the one we saw here and that, again, I had to fight. And now this attack on the Southern Fleet that got the Sub Commander kidnapped. I want to know the truth. I want to know who's the responsible for all this."

Only silence met her words. The Commander looked as cold as always, but he still kept quiet. Misato realized why: for the first time, Gendo Ikari was actually hesitating. There was absolutely no sign of that, but he hadn't dismissed her yet, nor had he complied. Misato knew she had to press on a little more.

"You hired me," Misato said harshly "To be NERV's Director of Operations and Tactics advisor. So, when I ask you to let me know about this, I'm not doing it just for myself. I'm doing it for you and NERV as well. I'm asking you to open the files on this aggressor because as a strategist I need to be informed if I have to do my job. If I'm not, then I'll never react in time when the time comes and you'll loose your other hand or worse. So, with all due respect, Commander, is Big Boss the man responsible for this series of attacks or not?"

Gendo remained silent for some time. He was still as a stone, his thoughts impossible to decipher as always. Misato stood her ground, knowing that she was right on this matter. In any case, she would get her answers one way or another. She wasn't about to let the Cyborg Ninja, Ocelot or any other terrorist attack the Children again.

"Very well," the Commander finally relented. Misato was sure this had to be a record of sorts "Follow me, Captain Katsuragi."

.

Gendo led Misato in complete silence. The purple haired Captain kept quiet as well, knowing that she could very well screw everything up if she said anything now. Gendo was willingly giving her information, and she couldn't ruin that now. The Commander led her to an empty briefing room and tapped a few commands on a panel, making a screen in front of them come to life.

"This is a recorded message that arrived today, four hours and twenty two minutes ago," Gendo said, sitting at the side of a table in the room. Misato sat opposite him, absorbing everything she heard to analyze it later "This will answer your questions, Captain."

The screen flashed and a video message started to play. Misato stared, dumbfounded. This was blunt, with no preparation whatsoever. She could recognize the man in the screen with ease; it wasn't hard, he was a legend.

Big Boss.

He had a harsh looking face, with strong features and yet presenting an elegance that Misato would have never expected in a man that had lived his eight decades of life fighting. His eyepatch, instead of giving him a rough look, almost carried a sad tint within itself, although it didn't lessen his aura of power in the slightest. And yet, he still seemed a gentleman in a weird sort of way. A person that looked at Gendo Ikari saw his power at the first glance, but also his disrespect. It was no secret that the man considered himself above others. Big Boss was different...

"Gendo Ikari," the man started. His voice was deep and harsh, with a sandpapery tone that quickly commanded attention "I am called Big Boss. I am the man that had your right hand cut, as well as the one that has your second in command, Kozou Fuyutsuki, in custody. I know everything about you and your plans, and I'm coming for you now. But that's not the purpose of this message. Four months ago, you captured one of my agents. Return her to me, and we will return your Sub Commander to you. Give me Agent Nulevoi back, and I will give you your Second in Command unharmed. It's pointless to say what will happen if you try to trick me; just know that I made you loose one hand and can make you loose the other just as easily as the wind changes. But you can be sure I will hold my end of the deal. The specifications of this exchange are encrypted within this message. I expect your answer within twenty four hours," and with that the message ended, leaving the screen black again.

"As you see now, Big Boss is our enemy," the Commander said, shutting off the screen. Misato's mind wandered a bit, realizing that this was the longest conversation she ever had with the man by far. Hell, probably the only real conversation she had with him; Misato silently decided it wasn't a pleasant experience. Gendo spoke again "As he himself has declared."

"He couldn't have made the attack on you without help," Misato said thoughtfully "He has to have an informant here, in the Geo Front," Gendo only gave a grunt as response. Misato shook her head and asked the question that was eating at her since hearing the message.

"Who is Agent Nulevoi?" Misato asked.

"That is not something you have to worry about, Captain," Gendo said, his voice regaining that cold edge that made many men shiver. It was clear the Commander thought the discussion was at an end. But Misato wasn't going to be deterred so easily.

"I need to know what I'm dealing wi..." she didn't get to finish her sentence before the Commander silenced her with a harsh glare.

"The identity of the subject will remain classified. Am I understood?" both locked in a staring contest, but Misato was the first to relent. She nodded silently. But she wasn't done yet.

"If we are up against Big Boss, a man that's been known for overthrowing entire governments with ease, we have to get assistance. NERV is powerful, but we are not experienced in dealing with this kind of threats," and then she moved on to the real point. Misato knew Gendo was fond of secrets, but to keep this classified was nothing short of suicidal. She only hoped she could convince him of that "You have to tell NERV and the UN about this. The crew here and Section 2, all of them must know what we are fighting here. We are going to need help to fight this man."

But the Commander surprised her again by relenting at the first try. It was obvious he had been thinking about the issue for the hours he had since he received the message.

"Measures have been taken," he said calmly, with his icy voice "All NERV personnel in every branch will be informed of this. As of now, we have already requested help from the United Nations to deal with this threat, and they have agreed to send an advisor here to assist us. You will greet the UN's advisor this afternoon."

.

Misato left the briefing room in thoughtful silence. In her mind, it was great to hear that the Commander had finally put his stupid pride aside and asked for some help. Because she was sure that they were going to need it. Big Boss. They were facing Big Boss. The man that had toppled regimes and destroyed entire governments without a lot of effort. He had already proved his skill by managing to send infiltrates in NERV not once, but twice. On the very Geo Front, by many considered the safest place on Earth. They were going to need all the fucking help they could get. If only Misato could convince Solid Snake to fight for them... but the man was locked up and isolated, surely tortured all the time... he wouldn't trust Misato in the slightest.

That aside, one thing worried her to the point of obsession. Big Boss had sent the message not to announce himself, but to make a demand. He demanded one of his agents be returned. Agent Nulevoĭ .Misato had no idea what that word meant, but she was determined to find out. This agent was so important that Big Boss had actually revealed himself to the world to get him or her back, and was willing to return NERV's Second in Command too. No one would do such things without a good reason. Misato made up her mind to learn everything she could about this agent; she was sure this would be terribly important in the future.

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Once again, twelve monoliths gathered in the darkness, and in the darkness argued about recent events and the steps to take. Only this time, there was no Gendo Ikari and no Big Boss to talk to. This was a secret meeting.

"Big Boss," SEELE 05 said "Has betrayed us."

"We should have known," SEELE 08 said darkly "Such men are always involved in their petty quests for power and peace."

"This Committee has been shamed!" SEELE 04 agreed.

"The theft of the Lance of Longinus is unforgivable," SEELE 06 agreed "Not to mention his attack on Gendo Ikari and the theft of ADAM!"

"Big Boss had far too much information of our plans," SEELE 10 pointed "Ocelot has been deceiving us this whole time. He is loyal to Big Boss and Big Boss alone."

"He is not worthy of the eternal bliss we will bring on this world," SEELE 02 condemned "Instrumentality is only for men of vision!"

"He is to be terminated!" SEELE 03 intervened. He had always been Big Boss' strongest opponent, and as it turned out he was completely right. His voice carried fury, but also a small smugness that came with having been completely vindicated "His treachery should not go unpunished!"

"Yes, but not now," Keel finally made himself heard "We don't know where ADAM is. Using all of our forces against Big Boss could cause an accident with ADAM, which would trigger either His destruction or another Impact."

"Big Boss knows this too," SEELE 12 mused thoughtfully "He must know ADAM is not to be experimented upon."

"Which is why we need to be cautious," SEELE 02 agreed "Hurting ADAM unintentionally would be disastrous to our plans."

"ADAM should not be let in Big Boss' custody!" SEELE 03 argued "We must retrieve Him immediately. And we must eliminate Big Boss and destroy his organization."

"All of our agents are working on the matter," SEELE 02 said firmly "Big Boss is strong, but not stronger than us. he will pay the ultimate price for betraying this Committee."

"Yes," Keel agreed "Neither Ikari nor Big Boss know about our final weapon. Evangelion Unit 06 is almost finished."

"The Super Solenoid Engine was successfully installed," SEELE 04 reported "The Mark 06 is being completed on our Moon Base as we speak."

"And the pilot is ready to fight for us," Keel said with a pleased tone "He completed his training with the highest marks. All his results were outstanding, the best ever recorded. Above Soryu's and only having a lesser Synch Ratio than Nagisa."

"It was to be expected," SEELE 04 agreed with satisfaction "After all, the pilot has all the genes of the best warrior that ever lived."

"Yes," Keel concluded "The one we retrieved after the Second Impact."

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The fact that Shinji Ikari arrived to the hill first was a testament to his skill and resolve when he truly decided to do something. Right now, the three EVAs were facing the Tenth Angel, that was falling from the sky in a suicidal charge. Or at least, was; because Shinji had done the impossible and caught a being so large than even an EVA had been left dwarfed against it. Right now both Asuka and Rei arrived at the hill, both having given their best and yet outspeeded by Shinji. But still, the boy was being crushed under the overwhelming weight of the Angel.

"Do it now!" Shinji Ikari yelled to his fellow pilots.

They didn't need to hear him twice. With a determination that spoke of solid training, both girls quickly snapped into action, Rei ripping the creature's AT Field and Asuka delivering the final blow.

"Eat This!" Asuka roared and with that she impaled the Angel's core with her Progressive Knife. The core cracked and sparked, and suddenly the Angel was no longer alive. The massive creature went limp and finally disappeared with an enormous explosion that destroyed the entire hill and left a crater where it used to be. But the city was safe, and the Evangelion too.

.

The sound of plugsuit clad feet made Shinji turn around and see Asuka and Rei come his way in the EVA cages. Like them, Shinji was wearing his plugsuit and right now was dripping LCL, having exited his EVA a few moments ago, right after the impressive victory over the Tenth Angel. Shinji still felt kind of numb, filled with that dull feeling he got after each battle, the feeling he had started to associate with EVA. Asuka, on the other hand, looked very happy. And right next to her, Rei was as impassive as always.

"My kill!" Asuka announced cheerfully, flicking Shinji's forehead with her middle finger. "How's that, Third? You're not going to hold the record much longer!"

"It was done by the three of us!" Shinji defended himself, albeit slightly playfully "And I arrived to the hill first!"

"Who cares about that?" Asuka pressed on "And I was the one that delivered the coup d'grace!"

"Currently you are the only pilot that has yet to kill an Angel without assistance, Pilot Soryu," Rei intervened completely out of the blue. The funny thing was that it was completely impossible to figure out if she had said it out of a desire to help Shinji, to scorn Asuka or to simply state the facts as they were. Which in itself was even more annoying that her comment alone. Asuka gave her a very dark glare. Anyone with a slight self preservation sense would have been very careful.

Misato arrived and unknowingly prevented what could have been a serious war in NERV. The three pilots turned to look at her; like Asuka, Misato looked very happy.

"Good work, all of you," the woman said with a smile "Come with me to the briefing room. There's someone I'd like you to meet."

"Who is it, Misato?" Asuka asked.

"The new UN advisor," Misato answered, and Asuka muttered something regarding the last one "You don't have to worry, this man is nothing like Ocelot. Now that NERV knows Big Boss is hunting for us, we required help to the UN, and that's why they sent this man. His name is Roy Campbell."

"Roy Campbell?" Asuka asked, surprised.

"Do you know him?" Shinji asked her in turn.

"Well, not personally," Asuka answered smugly "But I've read about him. Colonel Roy Campbell, former Green Beret, co-founder of FOXHOUND, second in command of the unit and expert tactician only under Big Boss. He later became the unit's commander and coordinated Solid Snake's efforts in Zanzibar Land and Shadow Moses. Reports say that he got distanced from Big Boss when the latter started his own mercenary company, called Militaires Sans Frontieres."

"Wow Asuka, you do know stuff about FOXHOUND, don't you?" Misato commented, quite impressed. It was clear this was a subject that interested the redhead "You were correct on every aspect. So, we requested help and the UN sent him to aid us deal with Big Boss. Anyway, he just wants to meet you, okay? Then you can all go home."

The three of them walked through the Geo Front's vast corridors, heading for the briefing room. Shinji hoped this Campbell man wasn't an old fashioned military man, while Asuka was eager to meet him and Rei wondered about how the appearance of so many foreign elements would alter Commander Ikari's scenario.

Campbell was already there when they entered the briefing room. He was dressed in a long trench coat and a business suit underneath, and even though age had made him slouch and use a cane he still had an air that carried dignified strength. Still, he had a kind face that eased the pilots' worries about him being a simple minded soldier. Misato stepped up to introduce him, having already met him earlier that day.

"All right kids, this is Colonel Roy Campbell," Misato started "Former member of FOXHOUND and currently working for the United Nations as an advisor. Colonel, these are the three Evangelion pilots in charge of defeating the Angels. From designation, they are Rei Ayanami, the First Child," Rei gave a curt bow to salute NERV's new advisor "Asuka Langley Soryu, the Second Child," Asuka saluted with a nod, her face beaming "And Shinji Ikari, the Third Child," Shinji gave a polite bow.

"My pleasure to meet you all," Campbell said. He had a grave voice, but his tone was gentle much like his demeanour. Judging by appearances, one wouldn't know the man had been a member of the best Special Forces units in the entire world "I have heard only good things about you. Now that I'm here, I can say that the reports seem to do you justice."

"So, did you see the battle?" Asuka couldn't help but ask. While she had interrupted him and forgot to call him 'sir,' Campbell didn't seem to mind. In truth, he wasn't a Colonel anymore. And on the other side, he didn't like the idea of using children to fight a war. He was resolved to go as easy as possible regarding them just to make their lives as simple as possible; forgetting about protocol wasn't so bad if the effect was more stable and overall happier pilots.

"Yes, I did," Campbell said, regarding Asuka with clear eyes "It was a very impressive battle, Miss Soryu," he complimented "Yours and your fellow pilots' resolve was certainly commendable. Not many people are that determined in the face of certain death."

"Well, it was me that killed the Angel," Asuka nodded, beaming at the old man's words. She was proud of being complimented by a man that had fought next to and commanded so many legends in battle "This is my fourth kill already."

"Indeed," Campbell nodded "I have read all the reports. The three of you have impressed many people in the military," the pilots gave him a curt nod as a way to thank for his compliment and the old man went on "I just wanted to meet you and tell you that I'll be here to help in any way I can. I'll be advising NERV, but if there's anything you want to know feel free to ask."

"Thank you, sir," Misato said, saluting the old commander. Shinji, Asuka and Rei said their thanks too and Campbell and Misato left the room to talk alone.

"He seems nice..." Shinji was the first to talk. Asuka silently agreed, having a good first impression of the man. Some part

of her had feared he'd be an old fossil like the idiot in charge of the Pacific Fleet when she arrived to Japan.

"It is fortunate we have someone of his expertise to aid us," Rei said, earning a nod from Asuka. The redhead turned and saw that the Third Child seemed lost in thought. Not one to let herself be unnoticed, she quickly walked to him.

"And what's with you, Shinji?" Asuka asked, curious about her comrade's mood.

"Well, he praised us," Shinji responded with a thoughtful look "He told us that we'd done a very impressive work. I'd just want to hear those words from my father. Maybe that's the reason I pilot, maybe that's my reason to fight. My reason to get inside EVA."

"If that's your reason, then you really are an idiot," Asuka said, looking away in frustration "That's what you're going to tell others when they ask you why did you pilot? That's what you're going to tell others to believe in?" the redhead pressed, using Snake's words against Shinji. She recalled how the boy looked after his first talk with the famed warrior, and how he had decided to find something worth fighting for "What is it that you're going to leave behind when you're through?"

There was no answer to her words.

.

"I meant my words to the pilots, Captain Katsuragi," Campbell said, walking next to the purple haired woman "The battle was very impressive. Your strategy worked superbly, you should be proud of yourself."

"Thank you sir, but I'm more proud of the children than me," Misato answered gravely "They're the ones risking their lives after all. In the end, we're forced to stand and watch," although this time had been different, Misato knew. Had the children failed, the Geo Front would have been vaporized and the EVAs wouldn't. This was the first time in the war that the children were actually safer than everyone else. Misato didn't comment that Campbell had already been there during the battle and had actually refused to leave was well, showing impressive commitment to others. It took a brave man to stay in a place that had only one chance in thousands to keep existing after the attack.

Misato and the Colonel walked in silence, but the Captain still had many things to say; the battle had taken her full attention, but now that it was over it was time to move forward. She took her time to make up her mind and finally asked what had been eating her for the past days.

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking you, what are your thoughts on Big Boss' threat? What can we do to stop him from forming an Evangelion force and declaring war on the UN?"

Campbell sighed and stared off into space, as if lost in thought. Misato kept quiet too, knowing that this man was probably the only one to give her and NERV a good insight in what to do now. They could consider themselves lucky to have him.

"To tell you the truth, Captain," Campbell started tiredly "There really isn't much you can do against him now, not in this political climate. NERV's hands are tied now."

"Then... we just give up?" Misato asked incredulously "I know NERV isn't the army, or the UN's forces, but we have to do something if we want to survive. That man has already participated in two Metal Gear incidents in the past, blackmailing the entire world with his superweapons. People like him should never have access to weapons like the EVAs, it would be a disaster for the whole world!"

"Officially, there's nothing you can do now," Campbell said, looking at the purple haired woman in the eye "Intelligence reports that he already has several installations as well as one Arsenal Gear in his power. NERV isn't the army, as you said. But that doesn't mean there's nothing you can do unofficially. What you have to understand, Captain, is that Big Boss is no mere terrorist. He is an extraordinary man, and it will take people as extraordinary as him to face him. According to the reports I've read and what I've seen today, you have already proven yourself worthy of such recognition. I don't mean to flatter you, though. Know that you are now on Big Boss' sights; things will become very complicated for you now, just as always happened to those who stood in Big Boss' way," Campbell turned to look at the huge Geo Front again, seemingly impressed by its beauty; but his eyes had a lost look, as if he were recalling past things "You can only prepare for what is to come; strengthen yourself and NERV, erase all weak spots, and make sure you and your peers are ready to fight. I'll help you as much as I can. I may not be up for a fight anymore, but there are still a couple of things I can do."

Misato gave him a expectant look. She did have something in mind about what to do, and if Campbell was actually hinting at what she thought... well, one of her oldest fantasies would become real.

"Yes, I mean exactly that," Campbell said with very slight amusement in his tone. Misato couldn't help but like the man; he was like a kind and doting uncle, very chivalrous and nice. Campbell's face turned serious again, though "As I have already pointed out to Commander Ikari, you have in your custody the only man that has ever beaten Big Boss in true combat, twice. In such a delicate situation, you can't go through the official channels, but having Solid Snake on your side would be a huge advantage for you. If we can convince him to help NERV, then the situation will truly change to your favour."

Misato was ecstatic at Campbell's words. She had been worried like hell after learning that they were up against Big Boss. She herself had already fought his supersoldiers, and almost lost her life in those occasions. Having the best warrior in their side would be incredibly helpful... and she couldn't deny that she had always fantasized about meeting Solid Snake, the man that made the impossible possible, and one of her crushes while she was on the military academy.

"Do you think you'll convince him, sir?"

"He has a strong sense of loyalty," Campbell remarked pensively "And he's more noble than he'd ever admit. I'll see what I can do."

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The three pilots were seated on the back of a Section 2 van, already out of the Geo Front and on their way home. They were heading for Rei's apartment first, since it was closer to the Geo Front. The van sped through empty streets and rundown buildings, dull gray being the only reminiscent of past days and glory. Now the place was desolated, and lonely. It was depressing.

"Ayanami, don't you think it's unsafe to live alone right now with all the attacks that have been happening lately?" Shinji asked, eyeing the old buildings with a critical look.

"It is sufficient," Rei answered simply. Some part of her felt a little warmer at the young Ikari's display of concern; it reminded her of the time when he'd saved her from the attack of the Fifth Angel; Shinji was the only one that had ever shown any sign of caring for her as a person and not a tool "Section 2 keeps track of all my movements as well. Therefore, I am in no danger."

"Well, you may be right..." Shinji conceded weakly, obviously not liking the First Child's answer.

"Yeah, right," Asuka snorted. Seeing Shinji's quizzical look, the redhead explained "We had Revolver Ocelot and a Cyborg Ninja infiltrate the Geo Front already and almost kill Misato twice, not to mention Solid Snake, that could have done anything to you and get away with it," Asuka said smugly - forgetting that she too could have been killed several times in the past weeks - soon her voice became strong and serious "With Big Boss out to get his own EVAs, what do you think will happen to us, huh, Shinji? We'll become valuable commodities for him now."

Shinji looked through the window, staring off into space. This was so... primitive for him. He didn't want to get involved in a war. It was already too stressful to deal with the Angels; he didn't want to fight people too. No, he wouldn't. He didn't care who he would upset; no one would make him kill other people, not even his father. But Asuka's words were still very troubling.

"And what do you think will happen now?" Shinji asked his roommate.

"We'll have to be extremely careful," Asuka answered seriously. The redhead was arrogant, but never incompetent "We have to stick together and not trust anyone we don't really know."

"Pilot Soryu is right," Rei cut in, again surprising the other two; the blue haired girl wasn't one to talk much "Security measures point that we should refrain from making contact with any subject outside of NERV personnel."

Then again, her utter compliance with NERV was perfectly in character.

"Don't you think you're overreacting a bit, Ayanami?" Shinji asked, voicing Asuka's thoughts as well, although without rolling his eyes as the redhead did "I mean, I know some people outside of NERV, like Touji and Kensuke, and even Hikari too. They can't be spies for Big Boss or Solid Snake, right?"

"I hate to say it, but the Third's right," Asuka declared "I don't say we seclude ourselves from the rest of the world, but we do have to be more careful. We better not trust anyone new on our lives now."

"Well... I suppose you're right," Shinji said, seeing the logic in his friend's point. He felt uncomfortable about it, but in the end it wouldn't affect him so much. He was never one to make friends easily.

"Of course I am," Asuka said smugly "I'm always right. We pilots have to watch each other's backs. And I, as the leader, must be extra careful! Don't worry idiot, I'll make sure neither you or Wondergirl make any stupid mistakes!"

Shinji sighed. Asuka could be smart, but so damn annoying too.

.

.

.

**Author Notes 2:**

So Chapter 5 ends at last. I know not much happened this time, but don't worry, next chapter will remedy that. I already wrote a lot of it, since much of what was going to be here had to be left for the next chapter.

You may feel Big Boss' talk was a bit long, but I wanted to clear many things regarding him in this chapter. While he is definitely against SEELE and NERV and their plans for Instrumentality, he isn't innocent either. Many people forgets that Big Boss was completely corrupted in the original Metal Gear games. In Metal Gear 2 he steals an incredibly valuable formula to keep the world hostage with it, and that's not counting his new Metal Gear D. Big Boss with Evangelions in his power would be a bad thing for the rest of the world; in this case, he's just the lesser of the evils. Solid Snake is, in my opinion, the hero of the Metal Gear saga. You'll be seeing a lot more of him in the next chapters, as he'll become one of the main characters of the fic.

I purposefully left a few clues about past events and secret characters in this chapter. Nulevoi is a code name, of course, and it will be revealed what it means later on. Big Boss refers to a woman that helped him on the past too... and SEELE has a secret pilot with the genes of a great soldier that survived the Second Impact. Any of this ring a bell?

I hope you liked this update. It's a bit slow on its pace, but fundamental for things to come. Soon there will be more.

Anything you'd like to comment about this, just leave a review. I'm always grateful for any feedback, and will answer your post in the span of a few days.

Thanks for reading.

Devil Boss


	8. Turnabout

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own any of the characters from the Evangelion and Metal Gear Solid universes; they belong to Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, GAINAX Studios, Hideo Kojima, Shoji Shinkawa, Kojima Productions and Konami Studios.

**Author Notes:**

Here I am, finally back on the land of the living. I would have loved to update faster, but this chapter was damn complicated to write. While I don't like to make any rushed promises, I think next chapter will come a little sooner this time. I hope I'm up to it.

I'm really glad you liked the story so far and hope this update doesn't disappoint you. It's a little on the long side, even though I tried to make it as short as I could. Many things were cut from here and will appear on the next chapter, but everything left here was really important and I couldn't leave it out. I honestly hope you like this, and ask you to please leave reviews so as to let me know what you think. Many thanks to those that reviewed the past chapters.

There is one last issue I'd like you to know. I made several pictures of this fic already and posted them on a Deviant Art account the past days. So far, I've done Big Boss and Solid Snake in Evangelion style, Big Boss with EVA Unit 03 behind him and Snake with the Three of Life in the background. All the links to the pictures are in my profile page, so if you want to see a few things of this fic check my account. Thanks for listening.

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**Chapter 6: Turnabout**

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Dressed in a black skin tight sneaking suit, Mana Kirishima stealthily approached Tokyo 3's General Hospital. It was already dark in the city, the day's activities having ended a long time ago, which suited Mana just fine. After hearing Suzuhara talk about his injured sister, Mana had done research on the subject and found out a couple of things. Apparently, the girl - named Mika Suzuhara - had been injured by falling debris during the first battle against the Angels. Mana had broken inside Touji's house earlier that night, and had quickly identified Mika and where was she being treated. What she had found had been rather intriguing; something didn't add up. The girl just didn't heal. And she was here to find out why.

Aside from her bodysuit, Mana was wearing a harness in her torso where she kept her items and weapons. She had a silenced Beretta M9 tranquilizer pistol sheathed in her right thigh, as well as a tazer gun in her left hip. She had one syringe filled with truth serum and another with a strong sedative. She also had a belt that carried some ammo clips, a stun knife and a high tension cable made to support twice her weight. And last but not least she had a grappling hook on her back, fired through a small compressed air rifle. Tight rubber boots made to nullify the sound of footsteps completed her attire.

Mana used the shadows and got into the hospital's parking lot. There weren't many cars there, and the ambulances were in another lot, so in the end Mana didn't find people there. She still moved with caution, just to be sure. This was a sneaking mission, and that meant staying out of sight at all costs.

Normally, field operatives would take this kind of mission. Mana was mostly a cover spy, a sleeper agent, not an expert in infiltration or combat - although she was quite skilled in her own right - so an infiltration of this sort would be out of her hands. But this mission was different. She was on her own, as Big Boss had said in the briefing. She had no friendly contacts here, no one she could trust and certainly no one she could give a mission to do. So here she was, doing things herself. It was a good thing she was trained for this kind of operation as well.

Moving swiftly, Mana fired her grappling hook to an edge four floors above ground, firing a very resilient cable with a steel hook. Securing the high tension cable to the tight harness in her torso, Mana began to climb up the wall, using the darkness and her black outfit to disappear in the shadows.

Had this been another operation, she would simply walk into the hospital and pretend to be a friend of the Suzuhara family coming here to visit the young girl. But not now; that wasn't viable at the time. Mana suspected NERV to be involved in young Mika's lack of progress in recovery; the girl had been injured months ago, according to Mana's investigations, and yet she was still not showing any signs of healing from her injuries. That was fishy, especially considering that Touji was a Fourth Level pilot candidate. It was obvious that NERV would try to keep an ace in the hole if they decided to use him as a pilot in the future. Mika Suzuhara's injuries were perfect for that: should NERV decide to use Touji as a pilot, they'd bribe him with a good health care for his little sister. Considering that, Mana couldn't walk in and pretend to be an acquaintance of the Suzuharas. If her suspicions were right, then NERV surely kept a tight watch over the injured girl, and Mana would have to sign the guests' book if she wanted to see her. Not only that, she would have to let herself be seen by NERV's covert operatives, which would recognize her from the school. Now was not the time to make any foolish mistakes; Big Boss had finally come out of hiding and both NERV and SEELE were hunting for his head. Mana getting identified or captured now would be disastrous for the old warrior. Which led to Mana being here, using the night to cover herself better and find out if her thoughts about this were correct.

'And wearing this stupid catsuit,' Mana mused exasperatedly, fidgeting in the tight garment. Quickly climbing through the wall, Mana finally came to a halt next to a closed window in the third floor. Looking through the glass, she saw that the room inside was empty and the light had been turned off, leaving it in the darkness. Which suited her just fine; Mana opened the window slowly and after disengaging her high tension cable from the hook entered the dark room in complete silence. She already knew Mika was in a room in the east wing of the third floor, thanks to her investigation in Suzuhara's house. If she was to confirm her suspicions, she had to see the girl and more important who was the doctor in charge of her treatment. Moving quietly to the door, Mana peeked to the corridor outside. There was no one there, and she couldn't pick anything up with her motion detectors. It looked like this was a calm night in Tokyo 3's General. Mana exited the room and moved swiftly towards the east wing, careful to keep things quiet. She saw some people sleeping in couches in the lounge, whom she guessed were familiars of some of the patients in this floor. Sticking to the shadows, Mana left quickly, innerly pleased with her ability to move in silence. A regular Solid Snake, she was.

A long corridor was in front of her. Mana hid behind a large plantpot - not the best hideout, but she hadn't found anything else - and looked ahead. There it was. Room 4-A. Mika Suzuhara's room. The door was closed, but there was a faint light inside. Mana could just walk and enter if it weren't because the corridor wasn't empty. There was a man sitting on a chair in the corridor, reading a newspaper with half closed eyes. He could have been anyone, just a random guy in a hospital waiting for a doctor to come and tell him about a patient he knew, or even a friend of someone here that was just passing time. But Mana didn't think so. The man was actually quite large, and even though he was no longer young he still seemed in good shape. His posture allowed him to watch room 4-A better than any other room. His newspaper wasn't wrinkled, which meant he hadn't been reading much. And yet his eyes were almost closed from tiredness, which meant he'd been here for some time. And something in his demeanour too... Mana trusted her instincts, and they told her this man was NERV Section 2 personnel. That only helped to further her suspicions.

Mana made her choice. She wouldn't risk being seen by this man. Taking out her Beretta, Mana took aim carefully and shot a tranquilizer dart at the man's head. Her aim was good - Mana silently congratulated herself on a bullseye - and the man simply fell asleep in his chair without making a noise. Quietly walking through the now unguarded corridor, Mana went to the man and removed the tranq. dart from his head. He would just think he'd passed out from exhaustion when he woke up. Mana left him and moved forward.

This was it. Room 4-A. Mika Suzuhara's room and the answer to all her questions. And if she was right, Big Boss would have an Evangelion pilot very soon. Mana opened the door and got inside.

The sight that greeted her was quite sad. Now sleeping soundly, Mika couldn't be much older than six. And to see such a young girl bedridden was depressing at the least. A few machines kept track of the girl's vital signs, even though there was no imminent danger to her life whatsoever. Mana looked at her and saw the resemblance to her older brother. She was sure Mika would grow into a quite attractive woman, that is if those animals at NERV let her have a life of her own without ruining it for their purposes. Looking at the girl's chart, Mana saw that she had been diagnosed a Spinal Burst Fracture. A vertebrae had been broken in the battle, leaving Mika crippled in bed, with the bone shattered into surrounding tissue and causing neurologic deficit. Everything she had seen and heard about Mika fit with the diagnosis, so Mana chose to believe it. But in the end that only proved her suspicions right: a Burst Fracture could be treated in any properly outfitted hospital in the world. The treatment varied depending on the injury, but it was treatable. Sometimes surgery would be required, sometimes not. There were cases which there was almost no permanent damage.

Grunting softly, Mana checked the name of the Doctor in charge of the girl's treatment. Whoever it was, it was the responsible for this. Mana had to interrogate him or her now in order to get the last piece of the puzzle; once that was done, she'd report to Big Boss and he'd probably convince Touji to fight for him. That is, if she was right. Mana saw that Mika was in charge of a Doctor named Yukasa. Well, that was her next clue. Now she'd have to get into the hospital's database and find him or her.

Or maybe not. The sound of footsteps caught Mana's attention. The girl quickly hid behind the door, hastily putting on a tight balaclava to complete her disguise. The door opened and a female doctor got inside and walked to Mika's bed.

"Freeze."

The woman stiffened and turned around to find Mana pointing her gun at her head. The doctor's eyes widened in surprise and fear. She could see that her attacker was a young girl, which was even more surprising. But in the end, a gun pointed at your head has the same effect in the hands of a teenager or the hands of an adult.

"Who are you?" Mana asked in a low, dark tone. She was the one asking the questions.

"D-Doctor Yukasa," the woman identified herself. Mana silently cheered. This made her mission way more easy. The doctor seemed to recover from her shock and in a display that spoke of courage countered with a question in turn "Who are you?"

Her assertiveness went down the sink the next second. Mana rushed her, taking out her stun knife with her left hand, quickly slamming her against a wall. Taken by surprise, the Doctor Yukasa didn't have much time to react. She had a gun pressed at her temple and a knife against her neck before she realized what had happened.

"Who I am is none of your business," Mana hissed dangerously. The fact that such a young girl could be this threatening made the act even worse "But that girl in bed is. I want to know why she hasn't recovered in the four months she's been here."

Doctor Yukasa shivered and her eyes shone with fear. Mana saw this and knew that she'd been right all along. Mika Suzuhara's lack of progress had been intentional. It was disgusting.

"She received a Spinal Burst Fracture," Yukasa finally muttered, still shivering "There's nothing we can do on such a short span of time to help her. It's a pity, but medical science isn't advanced enough to deal with this."

But Mana wasn't the kind of normal people the doctor usually had to deal with. She had been trained to be a spy and a soldier almost from birth, and therefore she knew a lot about anatomy. It was important for any kind of cover operative. And given that knowledge, Yukasa would never be able to confuse her with complicated medical terms to get her off her back.

"You bitch," Mana growled, pressing her gun harder against the woman's temple "You know damn right a Burst Fracture is treatable, even if surgery is required. I'm going to ask one last time, and if you don't answer me I'll kill you right now. Why haven't you treated Mika Suzuhara?"

The doctor's lip trembled, her eyes filled with dread. Her entire body was shaking with fear and shame, and yet she said nothing. Mana, cool headed as she was, found that she couldn't stand this. She had been treated like a tool during her childhood as well, and she wouldn't allow this excuse of a person to ruin an innocent girl's life just because she feared for her safety. Her left hand gripped the knife tighter, and the blade grazed the doctor's neck...

"I-It was because of NERV," Doctor Yukasa finally relented, squealing in a hushed tone, terrified not only because of Mana but because of what she was doing. Betraying NERV was equal to a death sentence "They ordered me to keep her alive, but not to heal her."

"Bastard," Mana muttered, looking at her straight in the eye "You made a Hippocratic Oath. How could you stoop this low, specially with a little girl's life?"

"They made me do it," the doctor whimpered, tears of shame and fear falling down her cheeks "They said t-they'd kill me and my sister if I refused... and there's no place to go for help in this city... I couldn't do anything, I swear!"

"Well now's your chance," Mana hissed, her knife still posed at the doctor's neck "You better keep quiet about what happened tonight, woman, or else I'll come back to hunt you and your sister down, do you get me?" Yukasa could only give her a dreadful nod "In a few days time, we'll move this girl out of here. I'll be counting on your help to do that. If you help me, I'll forget about what you've done and make sure NERV doesn't do anything to you," Mana paused and there was silence, only broken by Doctor Yukasa's panting. Neither of them moved. In the end, the Doctor finally gave a hesitating nod, agreeing with Mana's terms. Trying to make her point clear, the spy talked again "If you try to double cross me, know that there will be no place on Earth where you'll be safe, you hear me? If NERV gets me, others will come. And they are not as patient as I am." Images of Ocelot filled Mana's head. Hell, that man scared even her. She didn't dare to think what fear he would cause to a civilian. But in the end, her threat wasn't necessary. The Doctor was so afraid and ashamed of herself that she promised she'd help Mana make Mika Suzuhara recover faster, whether on this hospital or another one.

"Good," Mana said, nodding her head. Before Doctor Yukasa could react, Mana quickly injected her with one of her syringes, the one filled with a sedative. The doctor fell unconscious to the floor without making any sound. Mana left her where she was, knowing that there would be no traces of the sedative in the doctor's blood in a short time. No one would suspect what had happened here, and the Doctor would certainly keep quiet as well. If someone found her, they'd probably think the Doctor had passed out from tiredness.

Using her grappling hook again, Mana climbed down the wall and descended to the ground outside the hospital, using the darkness to conceal herself better. The mission had gone better than she'd thought it would. Big Boss would be pleased.

One thing nagged her. She hadn't killed the doctor as she would have any other time. Mana absently shook her head. She was getting soft.

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Everything was set. The exchange between NERV and Outer Heaven was to take place exactly at 22:00 hours. Sub Commander Fuyutsuki would be traded for one of Big Boss' agents, codenamed Nulevoi. Misato and her staff had worked on a way to do it and had finally relayed their plan to Outer Heaven's forces. A few minutes later, the other party had agreed. The plan was made to be simple in its concept so that there would be no needless bloodshed. Nulevoi would be taken to a black van in the Geo Front. Tracked by satellite, the van would go to a neutral location, twenty miles outside Tokyo 3 and twenty miles away from Mount Fuji. Both parties had agreed to keep the place clear of any military forces. Nothing save a small unit to retrieve each other's prisoner and get back safely. And while Misato had the JSSDF forces at her disposal for this exchange, she knew that Big Boss had the PMCs ready for action if he wished it. And even though there were laws regarding the PMC's involvement in wars, she couldn't risk starting a fight while the Sub Commander was on the line. Some of her aides had suggested sending a Special Forces unit to retrieve Fuyutsuki on the spot and retain Nulevoi, but Misato didn't even want to hear it. If NERV and the JSSDF had special forces, she didn't even want to think what Big Boss had. Probably a collection of freaks like the ones Solid Snake had faced in previous occasions. The purple haired woman wasn't about to risk NERV's second in command in a battle that they would very likely loose.

In that neutral place, both parties would exchange their prisoners, making them walk and go to the other side. After that, they'd return to their place, a truce called at the time. It was simple and straight to the point. Of course, satellites would track everything that happened out there. Misato was sure Big Boss would keep stealth fighters in the night sky, ready to blow NERV's forces if they tried anything rash. He probably had many other failsafe ready in case anything happened. And while she had NERV's forces at her disposal, she didn't have the whole military. That was why this had been set to be done cleanly.

Standing in a parking lot in the Geo Front, Misato was overseeing Big Boss' agent departure. After this, she'd go to the Geo Front to follow the events from there. The children weren't here. Misato hadn't told them this was going to take place. She didn't want to burden them with more things; they already had enough with the angels to worry about fighting other people as well. Next to her stood Makoto Hyouga. Kaji wasn't here. He'd been quite silent the past days, not showing up much. Misato would have worried about that, had it not been that they were so overwhelmed with events.

An armed group made it to the parking lot, silently announcing the arrival of Nulevoi. The agent walked in shackles between the heavily armed men, wearing a black jumpsuit and a hood on the head. The Agent wasn't tall; actually, it was slightly shorter than Shinji... maybe a really short adult? But Misato didn't think so... it had to be a young person... and what was that? Were those...? Were those... breasts? Misato took a closer look. The Agent was wearing loose dark clothing that covered everything, so it was really hard to see, but the chest wasn't plain at all. No, those were female curves, she was sure of it. Were they giving Outer Heaven a teenage girl? If so, there was only one conclusion to make...

NERV was giving Big Boss an Evangelion pilot in exchange for Sub Commander Fuyutsuki. That had to be it. No one would be important enough to trade for Fuyutsuki outside of a pilot. Whoever Nulevoi was, she was probably capable of piloting EVAs and had been recruited by NERV before hand... or maybe stolen from some other Evangelion program, like the US'. Now that she realized this, Misato almost wanted to crucify the Commander for his goddamned secrecy. That bastard had dismissed her when she asked who Nulevoi was, and it turned out that she was probably one of the best assets Big Boss would come to have in the upcoming war against NERV...

This was bad. And right now, there was nothing she could do about it. Damn the Commander and damn Big Boss.

Shit. Misato only hoped Campbell managed to convince Solid Snake to help them. With this change in events, they would certainly need all the help they could get.

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Complete isolation was made to utterly break a person. Alone, you don't have anything to do. No way to pass the time. At first, you can try to occupy yourself with something, whatever you find interesting, but it will fade soon. You have no way to know how much time has passed, no way to know what happened with your friends and how everything you know is going now. You only get enough food to stay alive and that's that. No one to talk to, no way to endure when you already forgot how much time have you been isolated and how much longer will you be. In the end, any person put through that breaks.

Solid Snake was different. Isolation was natural for him. After defeating Big Boss in 1995, he had retired to Alaska specifically to be alone. And he had stayed there, only leaving a few times when he had no other choice. He had lived there for ten years, until he was forced to face his own brother, Liquid Snake. Only then he had left the place and decided to make some good with his life. But he never forgot the feeling of loneliness, the calm knowledge of being all alone. He didn't mind it now at all, he was used to it. And he didn't worry about the fate of his friends. He getting captured was a contingency they had prepared for before hand; it had always been a possibility and therefore there were backup plans for Otacon and the other members of Philanthropy to survive if Snake was caught or killed. Knowing that obsessing was pointless, Snake kept his cool and simply waited for a chance to appear, whatever that chance might be.

He could hear the steps coming closer from a very long distance. It wasn't the guard in the corridor outside; it was a slower and heavier pace. A pace Snake was familiar with, even though he hadn't seen this man for almost a decade.

The door opened and the man got inside. Snake caught a glimpse of a heavy armoured strike team outside, ready to subdue him if he tried to escape. But then the door closed and Snake was left alone with the newcomer. One would think the new arrival was stupid for facing him alone, but this wasn't the case. Both men were old friends.

"You're the last man I expected to find here, Colonel."

Standing in front of him, Roy Campbell gave a small smile. He was dressed in a long trench coat and boots, and even though he was old and his posture was not as good as ten years earlier, he sill carried himself with a very dignified air.

"What can I say? I always try to help old war buddies."

Snake snorted. While the Colonel was an old friend of his and they'd shared many things, he very much doubted the old man was here just to help him for the fun of it. He was sure the man was here to offer him a job, which given his current situation could only be for the organization that was keeping him prisoner. Snake didn't like people beating around the bushes, so he went straight to the point.

"Colonel, who are you speaking for?"

"Contrary to what you might think, not NERV," Campbell responded calmly, his voice serene "I speak in representation of the United Nations and the Committee to oversee PMCs activity. A situation has arose, Snake."

So far, the only surprise was that he wasn't talking on NERV's behalf. The rest wasn't entirely new. The PMCs had been performing suspicious activities lately, moving troops with no known cause and refusing to report on the matter, hiding behind legal loopholes and the such. Snake had kept an eye on them in the past months, figuring they'd lead him to Ocelot sooner or later. It really didn't surprise him all that much that a 'situation had arose.' If Otacon was right, Ocelot was here. A situation was bound to appear.

"And I can assume you want me to deal with it, right? In other words, to be a pawn in the UN and NERV's game, the people that have been giving me detailed courses of interrogation for the past week."

"I'd never ask you to fight for NERV if the situation weren't so dire, Snake. But I'm afraid this time everyone's outmatched against this new threat," now was the time to put the cards on the table. Campbell knew Snake was tough as nails: the man had endured torture over and over again, but he wasn't one to hold grudges easily. Right now, he was surely angry as hell with the Commander, but not with everyone else. And the situation would be enough to convince him: Big Boss was one of Solid Snake's greatest nemesis, second only to Liquid Snake. Campbell sighed and decided to come forth once and for all.

"He's alive, Snake."

"Who?"

"Big Boss. He's alive."

A shocked silence came, while the two men stared at each other for some time.

"That's impossible!"

The news was so surprising that even Solid Snake was in denial. He, after all, had been the one to destroy Big Boss, burning him alive with an improvised flamethrower. The old man was tough as nails, but even he had some limits.

"Big Boss survived his injuries," Campbell said, disgusted with this information "A brain-dead shell sustained in a lab, prisoner of the Patriots. He was kept in a coma, while the Patriots rebuilt his body. The media try to disguise it, but human experimentation is being performed with more emphasis than ever before," both men looked sickened at this part. They knew what kind of experimentation was performed, with examples such as the Cyborg Ninja or Vamp coming to their minds with ease "But an organization called SEELE stole his body at some point in July, and managed to restore him into a functioning condition with their own eastern technology. He's been working on his own for some months now," Snake was paying close attention to this, surprised by this turn of events. Big Boss was alive again... that could only mean disaster for many people, specially if the man was out to rebuild his dream Outer Heaven "He's already set up his own army with the joint PMC forces and already has nuclear and N2 bombs ready to be used at his convenience. Now, he is out to destroy NERV and get all Evangelion Units under his control."

Snake digested this in silence for some time. His worst fears had come true.

"Do they really have the ability to launch a nuclear missile?"

"They say they do," Campbell answered "And with the whole war against the Angels going on, the Japanese Government won't dare to put their word to the test. The JSSDF's hands are tied as well."

"But the system has safety devices to prevent the theft of a nuke. PAL codes and nanomachines do have some uses after all."

"Intelligence reports they have Dr. Naomi Hunter in their numbers," Campbell responded, shaking his head sadly. The woman had always been a mystery to him "And with her on their side, I wouldn't be surprised if they could fool the system or get a Naked Nuke or an N2 Mine in a few months, specially considering that the PMCs are backing them up as well. I fear Big Boss could have even gotten one of the old nukes he obtained after the end of the Cold War. We can't risk calling their bluff. The higher ups think so too."

"But even if they do have a nuclear or N2 warhead, that still leaves them without a missile. It's not that easy to get your hands on an ICBM."

"Getting a missile became easy after the Second Impact, especially if you have money and the right connections," Campbell scoffed. It was no mystery that even powerful countries had been selling arms to get some money after the disaster the Second Impact had been, especially to smaller countries that needed armies to keep existing. That was one of the reasons the PMCs had become so useful in the 21st century "And both Big Boss and Ocelot have them. I for once believe in their word: if they say they can launch a nuke, then they probably can."

Snake digested this in silence. The situation didn't look good. Big Boss had already secured a strong position right next to Tokyo 3, the focus of the war against the Angels and therefore a extremely delicate place. And the old man was an expert in blackmail and dirty tactics: in 1999 he had held the world hostage with OILIX, a perfected formula that could substitute oil and save society from a collapse that would come since oil reserves were quite low. Big Boss had stolen the formula and the scientist that had created it, and there had been no stopping for him. It was Snake that put an end to that, although he gained many scars out of the ordeal, both physical and psychological. Big Boss wouldn't hesitate to pull such moves now either; if he wanted something, he wouldn't mind threatening everyone to get it.

"How well armed is he now?"

"He's heavily armed, I'm afraid. They have a base at Mount Fuji that includes a hardened underground facility with the capacity to store a large army. Even with our most advanced intelligence gathering equipment we can't tell what's happening inside. And we suspect he has other facilities under his command too. We already confirmed he has one Arsenal Gear class ship in his power, as well as a numerous Metal Gear RAY force. And since he has the PMCs under his command, I wouldn't be surprised if he has already smuggled tanks, Metal Gear Gekko and stealth jet fighters and bombers. But what matters most is the Evangelion."

Snake said nothing, although he innerly agreed with Campbell's words. While Big Boss having Metal Gears, advanced fighters and even nukes was dangerous, him having Evangelions neared something terrible. Big Boss had always wanted to build a nation for soldiers, one that would lead the world into a new order, erasing the old divisions of power between East and West. And while that was made referring to the US and the Soviet Union, it still applied today, in the form of SEELE and the Patriots. Big Boss sought to use his armed forces to give a place to soldiers in a world that disdained them; in other words, he would keep a balance in the whole world between war and peace. And while many would concur with that point, Snake - one of the much disdained soldiers - felt that the world and the future needed to get rid of the old stigmas of war. Big Boss was a visionary, but for some people his vision was already too old if the world was to truly evolve. Leaving a legacy of war was pointless in Snake's opinion.

"The Evangelion..." this was even worse than Ocelot having them. Big Boss was even more cunning than the Russian gunslinger.

"If our reports are right, he's planning on getting his own Evangelion task force to compete with NERV and the US," Campbell said, his voice heavy with concern. The EVA's combat prowess was such that one was enough to level a city in a few minutes. A war with the EVAs used as weapons would be devastating for the whole world.

"Big Boss in possession of an Evangelion task force..."

"Now you see how dangerous the situation is," Campbell nodded gravely "Meryl and Rat Patrol Unit 01 are already coming here, along with some of the oldest FOXHOUND members we could find that weren't on Big Boss' good graces. But none of them are as good as you, Snake. You are our best hope against Big Boss."

"So what do you want? An operative to infiltrate Fuji's facilities and report back?"

"No," Campbell shook his head, earning a surprised glance from Snake "As I said, he has one Arsenal Gear and probably other secret facilities. Infiltrating Fuji at the time would be pointless; there very well might not be anything important there. No, what we really need is a strong warrior in our side; call yourself an advisor for NERV if you wish, although I'm sure Captain Katsuragi will want to get the pilots under your protection. The entire Geo Front is vulnerable to infiltration attempts too, and we could benefit from your experience if you pointed out how to better guard it."

Snake gave Campbell a glare that spoke leagues about his thoughts at the moment. Despite how much the old man tried to disguise it, the job was pretty much babysitting, and on top of that working for the people that had tortured him for a very long week. Snake wasn't the kind of man to hold grudges, but even he had some limits.

"And if I refuse?"

"You know I'm trying to help you here, Snake," Campbell reasoned. Solid Snake was headstrong; it wouldn't do to try to force him into something because that was likely to end badly for the enforcer. But Campbell meant his words: by doing this, he did a favour to the UN, NERV and Snake himself. After all, the legendary soldier was probably the most wanted terrorist on the whole world, save for Big Boss after he revealed himself "If you refuse, you'll spend the rest of your life behind bars. You're not in anyone's good graces after your exploits in Philanthropy. But if you accept, you'll get out of this prison and NERV will deny ever having seen you; you'll work under an alias and once the job's over the Japanese will turn a blind eye to your presence here."

"So that's how it works, huh? Blackmail," Snake mused darkly.

"No, Snake," Campbell corrected sadly "Had I been anyone else, you would already be dead by now. This is the best I could do for you in this situation, but if you refuse there will be nothing me or anyone else can do," both men were silent for some time after that, knowing that Campbell's words were completely true. It was already a miracle that Snake was still alive at this point; Campbell had managed to stop NERV from 'interrogating' him any further, and now he was placing himself on the line for his friend. Should Snake escape, or try anything rash, it would be the old Colonel the one to blame "Snake, this is probably the worst threat we've ever faced. I know NERV's treatment of you has been less than pleasant, but this is bigger than us. You won't be reporting to the Commander, but to the United Nations and me as their representative. Even with the new FOXHOUND's help, I fear we will be outmatched against Big Boss. It has to be you. You have to do this," Campbell said. Both warriors locked gazes stubbornly. Snake wasn't one to like being tossed into huge conflicts after his past experiences.

"Why should I?" the mercenary asked. It always came down to him doing things; but at 43 years old he was getting tired of it all. That, and his aging body didn't help much. According to his last medical check-up, Snake's body was past fifty years old. There wasn't a cure for that, it seemed.

"Because you're the only one who can," Campbell said, knowing better than anyone how much his friend had sacrificed in his life. This would be their last battle; neither had the strength to keep fighting forever "Please Snake, stop him."

"...All right," Snake said. With those two simple words, he sealed a pact that would take him to hardship as he'd never seen before, and he knew it. His acceptance of the job would take him to a war against Big Boss, a Big Boss that was now out to get Evangelions instead of Metal gears. His two words of agreement determined fate yet again: Solid Snake would have to face Big Boss in combat sooner or later "But I have two conditions."

"Name them."

"One, I will answer only to you," Snake said gravely, prioritizing this above all else "Even under cover, I won't answer to NERV, only to the UN and you as its representative; and two, there will be no secrets between us; everything you know, you tell me."

A short silence came after Snake's words. The cards were in the table, and this time the legendary warrior wasn't willing to back down.

"Agreed," Campbell finally said "That's why I'm here. And by the way Snake, remember I'm not a Colonel anymore."

"Of course... Colonel."

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The empty corridors were white and clean, so heavily secured that just knowing where they were would warrant the death penalty. They were so underground that actual mines were closer to the surface. And to get down here, a person would have to undergo so many security checks that it would be impossible to count them. Thousands of sensors, hidden cameras, biometric systems, closed doors, security cards and of course heavily armed elite Special Forces made this place probably better secured than the Geo Front or the Pentagon itself. Entering this place without authorization simply meant suicide. No one had ever come close to the white, shining corridors that held SEELE's secrets. No one had ever managed to get past so many security measures.

Gray Fox had done it. It had taken him two entire weeks, but he had done it. Fourteen days of getting deeper and deeper into SEELE's most secret facility had finally led him to the white corridors he was travelling through right now. His only help had been his vague memories of the place, back when he had been 'rescued' by SEELE in the aftermath of Shadow Moses. Metal Gear REX had destroyed him, but his head and his spine had survived. And that was enough in the 21st century for human experimentation to be possible. The procedure was so intense that no one had survived it, save for Fox and other subject that Fox never met, if he was real. And it had been done on this base, that had become his prison for years. After SEELE was done experimenting with him, they decided to send him to Big Boss to aid him in his quest of protecting them. They had kept Fox in such a vulnerable state with drugs and isolation that erasing his memories of the whole affair hadn't seemed impossible for them at the time. But Fox remembered. And he was here with a vengeance.

Because in this place, somewhere amidst the white, shining corridors, was SEELE's most treasured possession. In this place they kept a supercomputer with all the data about themselves and their organization; it was a lone system, so that it couldn't be hacked from the Internet nor any outside force. Not even the Patriots' full digital censorship could reach this computer; SEELE had taken care of keeping their secrets safe from everyone. The only way to access this computer was to be physically standing in front of it.

Which Fox was close to be.

There. Around a corner, there was a door. It wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either. A steely gray door that sported an intricate design; a Three of Life, Fox recognized, recalling his briefing about NERV and SEELE. Whatever they said, they looked like cultists to him. But that didn't matter now. What mattered were the eight men guarding the door. All of them were heavily armoured, carrying FP90's in their hands, as well as a High Frequency blade in their backs. Black Kevlar vests covered their torsos, and helmets equipped with infrared goggles made them faceless, impossible to discern from one another. They were outfitted much like the Arsenal Tengus in the Big Shell, six years ago. Fox assumed they used to belong to that unit. And these eight soldiers were surely the best amongst them, which made them even more deadly. The reports on the Big Shell incident said that Solid Snake had faced them along an operative named Raiden. Well, if they'd done it, Fox could do it too; it would be a tight battle, because he'd be discovered then. But he only had to cross the heavy door and then the mission would end. With that in mind, Fox readied himself and commenced his attack. It was time to bring SEELE down.

Moving so fast that it was hard to see him, Fox jumped and cut a Tengu in half before anyone had time to do anything. The Tengu fell to the floor in pieces, but the others' reaction was immediate. The entire base alarms started to ring loudly, adding madness to the already infernal battle that now took place in the white corridors. The second of the Tengus aimed his FP90 at Fox and opened fire in a flash, but the Ninja moved like lighting and parried the shots, advancing and slashing his enemy in a second. The remaining six quickly organized themselves, seeing that this enemy was far above human capacities. Four of them drew their blades, while only two offered support with their assault rifles. One of them made a grand, graceful leap and posed his blade downwards, intent on falling on top of Fox and strike him down. Even though Fox was far above human potential, he still had a tough time avoiding the attack. The Tengu threw a spinning kick at him, while all the others came closer to stab him swiftly. Fox somersaulted over the black warrior and kicked another on the face, with such strength that a sickening crunch was heard when his enemy's neck was crushed by the blow. The Tengu went flying back and hit the nearest wall, denting it. But Fox's attack had left him open to enemy fire, as he was out in the open without the blade wielding Tengus nearby to cover him. Fox quickly resorted to his superhuman reflexes and parried all the shots, although he couldn't advance now against such an attack. But being armed with a FP90, the Tengus had no defence. Moving like a blur, Fox reached down and pulled out his own handgun, a SOCOM Mk 23, nailing one of the attackers in its head in a matter of milliseconds. But his lapse in defence cost him a punishing kick behind his knees that left him without footing, delivered by another of the Tengus. Fox grunted in pain and let his SOCOM fall, twisting in mid air and managing to back flip with one hand. As soon as he did so, he was forced to defend himself with everything he had against the barrage of bullets one of the Tengus shot with his FP90, now unprotected against the one that had sweep kicked him and which now stood next to him, slashing with his blade to cut him in half. Using his last reserves, Fox made a deft spin and avoided the blade, putting himself behind the Tengu to protect himself from the bullets, and using his own blade to slash and kill his opponent. Still spinning, Fox gained momentum and threw a dagger at the shooting Tengu, stabbing his neck.

Each thrust, parry and counterattack carried the fate of the world, the fate of humanity with it. Each movement of the blade decided the course mankind would take, destiny shining in the steely sword, making the ambition and greed recede and gaining a power that spoke of the unwavering power of the human spirit. One of the Tengus lunged forward, bent on stabbing Fox's heart with his blade, but the Ninja made a deft manoeuvre and sidestepped, watching the Tengu's blade move past him with cold eyes. Fox spun quickly and decapitated the Tengu; blood splashed everything, tainting the white floor with sickening red. Still spinning, Fox went downwards and made a sweeping kick, delivering such a powerful blow than the last of the Tengus almost went flying in the air due to the impact. Standing again, and moving at speeds that matched those of bullets, Fox cut the Tengu in half while the latter was still in the air.

Blood filled the corridor now, adding to the incredibly grim scene to make what could pass as a hellish scenario. And in the middle of that stood Fox, a ghost returned to life, a killer wraith, a devil. And yet, this devil was mankind's advocate, this devil was the hope of all the unaware people which SEELE intended to kill to fulfil their wishes. The devil looked forward, and promptly stood in front of the heavy door. With strength that far surpassed that of the strongest human, Fox used his blade to dent the door and pried it open with his bare hands. The effort had been akin to holding off a battleship by himself, since the doors were heavily armoured, with layers and layers of incredibly tough materials and locks keeping them closed. Fox grunted in pain as his exoesqueleton sparkled with electricity, the strain almost being too much even for him. But the doors were open now. Fox grunted in pain and fell to his knees, while around him the complex's alarms kept ringing loudly. But this was his one advantage: no one had ever thought someone would come this far inside. And the complex wasn't designed to get large numbers of troopers down here quickly, since the creators didn't want this place to be accessible for everyone. So, when someone finally did make it through, SEELE was caught with its guard down. Getting a hold of himself, Fox ignored the pain and stood up again, his exoesqueleton still sparkling. He quickly recovered his handgun, sheathed his blade and picked up one of the Tengu's FP90's. Watching the now ruined doors, Fox moved on. There was a dark room behind them, filled with machinery and pipes. Going forward, the Ninja went past the threshold.

.

"What's going on?" the voice came from the eighth monolith in the gathering, all of SEELE's council meeting at an urgent call from Keel himself.

"Our main base is under attack," Keel answered "The target is our main computer!"

"Is it the Patriots?" SEELE 07 asked.

"We have the German army completely under our control! It couldn't be them!" SEELE 02 claimed, fear tainting his voice. They all knew what was at stake here; should someone access their supercomputer, they'd be finished.

"It's not the army, but a spy," Keel answered "Someone has somehow managed to infiltrate our base and reach Level Umbra. Who ordered this attack is unclear."

"It has to be the Patriots."

"We have to prepare for any contingencies!"

.

The room was big and dark, tainted with a strange eerie reddish light. It reminded Fox of Gendo Ikari's office. Those strange symbols, almost resembling those of cults, stretching all over the place, just like the Commander's. He felt sickened by this people, thinking themselves worthy of becoming gods. Well, this would show them the harsh truth. And after SEELE was done, NERV would come next.

There it was. In the centre of the room, a big terminal. It was large, but not grand. Above it stood something that actually resembled a huge human brain, connected to the computer through large, thick wires. Fox approached the terminal and typed in a few commands, aided by Outer Heaven's technicians through his codec. SEELE wouldn't be able to stop him now. The problem with such advanced measures was that they became increasingly complicated to manage. In this case, SEELE itself had managed to make this computer impossible to access from outside, which was great for Fox now, since there wasn't a thing they could do to stop him from outside. He was in, they were out.

Fox reached for his waist and got out a small disc that would be uploaded on the computer. It wasn't a virus. Viruses were programs coded to enter a system and duplicate over and over again, saturating it until completing that for what they'd been coded to do or destroy the host. What Fox's disc carried was a worm cluster. It was modelled after the one used by Solid Snake, Raiden and Hal Emmerich in the Big Shell incident. In this case, the Worm would enter the system and trigger a reaction, namely making all the firewalls and locks that kept the computer isolated disappear. It didn't do any damage to the data itself: it simply made the computer visible to the rest of the world. It made it visible to the Patriots.

The system itself wasn't precisely secure. It hadn't been built with the possibility of someone coming this far in mind, and therefore didn't have so many security passwords nor firewalls to bypass if someone got to use the computer. It was a perfect display of SEELE's arrogance, Fox thought. They thought themselves above others, never even considering the possibility of anyone rightfully challenging them. Well, this would teach them a lesson. They would disappear thanks to their own overgrown confidence. Scientists had a tendency to do that. Typing in a few precise commands, Fox activated the worm cluster and released it in SEELE's most prized possession.

Mission Accomplished. This had been the toughest infiltration he had ever made, but in the end he'd been successful. This would certainly be one for the history books, had it not been that no one would ever know what had happened here. But his part was done. Now it was up to the worm cluster to finish things off.

Getting out would be tricky. Fox would have to elude SEELE's forces first, although that wouldn't be a problem for long. Not with the Patriots coming to erase them for good. But Fox wasn't on the Patriots' good graces either, so that didn't make much of a difference. Still, he hoped he could disappear amidst all the mayhem that soon would fill this base. Once on the surface, Revolver Ocelot was already scheduled to meet him and take him back to Japan.

.

"What's this?" SEELE 02 asked out loud, petrified "Some abnormal readings have been picked up all throughout our secret network! I can't shut them down!"

"What!" SEELE 10 asked, now feeling a very human stab of fear on his chest.

"Is it a virus?" SEELE 12 questioned.

"But how...!" some of the council members asked, still refusing to believe what was happening.

"Hello, gentlemen," a new voice rang on the dark chamber.

"Big Boss!"

Tall and imposing, Outer Heaven's Commander in Chief had suddenly appeared between the monoliths. No longer was he here to answer for his actions, or to pretend to be under control. No, his figure now spoke of untamed power, and as one's sight raised the only thing to focus on were his eyes, full of triumph and passion. Alone between the gray monoliths, Big Boss stood more powerful than them all.

"You!" SEELE 09 shouted "It is you that's doing this to us!"

"I'm glad you noticed, comrade," Big Boss said calmly "I've been plotting your demise ever since you brought me back to life."

"You dare defy this Committee!" SEELE 03 yelled in outrage "You shall pay for this!"

"You don't need to concern yourself with your petty threats, SEELE 03," Big Boss snorted, despise clear in his tone, showing how much he hated pathetic, vengeful men "I'm here merely to bid you farewell."

"You cannot destroy this Committee," Keel hissed, feeling the most intense hatred of his life. It was the kind of hate that came when a greedy person found that they hadn't gotten to use their power and now it was too late for it "Even with all your resources, you lack the power to finish us!"

"That's true," Big Boss granted, his voice harsh, and a smirk appearing on his face "But I won't be the one to end you. I think the Patriots can handle that by themselves."

"NO!" SEELE 09 shouted. All present knew what that meant: Big Boss didn't have the influence to kill SEELE, but the Patriots did. And now that SEELE was bare to the world, it wouldn't be long before the rulers of the western side of the world found them.

"The... the abnormal readings have erased all our digital protections!" SEELE 11 whimpered.

"NO!" several monoliths chorused, knowing all too well what would come now.

"You're no warriors," Big Boss said, letting the chaos in the room invigorate him "You're no leaders of men," some of the monoliths were turned down, while all the others kept screaming in outrage "You're nothing more than a bunch of scientists that found they had too much power in their hands, and thought themselves above others. This is your retribution; this is the world paying you back. So long, you old fools."

And with that, SEELE's fate was decided. The world as the 21st century knew it ended, finally free of the worst stigma it had ever carried. The people responsible for the destruction of the old ecosystem and the loss of three billion lives was exposed, naked before the wrath of the Patriots, that would swiftly destroy them in complete silence. No one would ever know what had happened here, and how Big Boss had avenged all Second Impact's victims, but now the world was free. Chaos would come now, that of men trying to fill the positions of power before others, but there would be no further evil perpetrated by SEELE. It had taken years and the lives of many people, but it was done. SEELE was finished. The world was free.

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Heading out of the classroom as lunch break started, the so called three stooges walked to the roof of the school while talking about senseless stuff, such as how boring the Second Impact had been and the such. Although Kensuke had tried to pry for some information about NERV, Shinji had told him it was classified and kept his mouth shut. Not wanting to get his friend in any trouble, the otaku had relented.

"So, did you hear the news?" Kensuke asked his friends, as they found their favourite spot in the roof and started to eat, still in the same light mood as always "Some important politicians and the such were found killed this morning all across the world. The news said it was probably a terrorist attack, but I don't buy it. You think it was a conspiracy?"

"You see conspiracies everywhere, Kensuke!" Touji said, yawning "And the only time you were right was when you guessed Shinji was the pilot of the Evangelion. Who cares about some old men killed around the world anyway?"

"Hey, only because I choose to be informed of what happens in the world around us and how it affects..." Kensuke's rant was lost in the other two stooges, that knew perfectly right how paranoid the otaku was. Shinji always thought it had something to do with the boy being something of a hacker; he supposed it was natural he was paranoid if he kept trying to break in places he shouldn't and snooping around in things that weren't his problem.

"Hey Shinji, here comes your friend," Touji said, interrupting Kensuke. Shinji turned around and saw that Mana had appeared on the roof and was indeed heading towards them.

"Hello, Ikari!" Mana said cheerfully, standing in front of him. Shinji blushed a little and Touji and Kensuke almost face palmed in outrage at their friend's luck with girls "Would you introduce me to your friends?" Mana asked politely. Something about her made Shinji feel oddly at ease; she had come to talk to him, yes, but not like some of the other girls in the school would do, in a much more excited and overbearing way. After all, they were interested just on the Pilot of the Evangelion, not him. Shinji's train of thought stopped when he realized Mana was still waiting a response.

"I'm Suzuhara Touji! And this is Aida Kensuke!" Touji finally took charge when he realized Shinji wasn't coming back from his stupor. Mana gave him a sweet smile and the jock beamed. Next to him, Kensuke was grinning like an idiot.

"Ikari, I was wondering," Mana began simply, addressing the young pilot "The class rep told me you live near my apartment and I thought that maybe you could, you know, show me around town a bit? I'm quite unfamiliar with this place and I'd really appreciate it if you did this for me."

"Hmmm..." Shinji hesitated a bit, knowing that he had no tests scheduled today and he actually could show the girl around if he wanted. Next to him, Touji excused himself and dragged Kensuke away, giving his friend some privacy. Shinji was lost in thought: he didn't want to be rude, but his job was important and they couldn't afford a security breach. But then again, this was Mana he was talking about. She couldn't be so dangerous, could she? She was just a normal girl, and a really kind one at that. Besides, there was no harm in walking her around a bit "Well, okay, sure," he finally said.

"Great!" Mana said, leaning forward and pecking Shinji on his cheek "Thank you so much, Ikari. It's really kind of you to do this for me, specially considering your job in NERV and all."

"W-well, it's not such a big deal," Shinji said, blushing "I'm glad I can help."

"Ahem," a new voice rang, interrupting the scene.

"Asuka!" Shinji said, quite startled at finding the redhead behind Mana. How had she gotten there so quietly? Mana had been surprised too and she silently blamed herself for that; it'd been years since someone sneaked up on her.

"I'd hate to break up this little reunion of yours," Asuka said, although it was quite obvious she didn't mean it "But I have to speak with you, Shinji."

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Mana asked politely, innerly laughing in amusement. As if she didn't know who Asuka Soryu was; she was one of her main targets in this mission. But still, her tone didn't give anything away.

"Soryu Asuka Langley," the German girl answered in a huff. She hadn't liked the new student ever since she came to the school, and that hadn't changed lately. She reminded her of Rei with that short hair, and she wouldn't trust someone that never raised her voice nor showed any signs of anything resembling a flaw in her personality.

"Oh, the Evangelion pilot!" Mana said cheerfully, since Asuka had made a reputation based on that fact "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Same here," Asuka smiled with that kind of falseness only women are capable of "Anyway, you come with me, Third," Asuka sighed, grabbing Shinji's right arm with an iron grip and clearly ending the conversation.

"What? But why? There are no tests today, right?"

"Come with me," Asuka repeated, narrowing her eyes. Anyone with half a brain would have gotten the hint, and Shinji did have a self preservation instinct after all. Excusing himself, he followed Asuka as the redhead led him away.

"What is it, Asuka?" Shinji asked, clueless about the German's behaviour. She never approached him in school, always surrounded by a court of friends or eating with the class representative.

"How much of a dork can you be?" Asuka said, ignoring his question altogether.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Tell me something idiot, what were we talking about just a few days ago, huh? Didn't we agree that we should be more careful with people now? Didn't we say that we would keep to ourselves, save for those closest to us?" Asuka pressed on, cornering the boy. Her words were true, since they had in fact talked about those things while returning after the battle with the Tenth Angel "And the first thing you do is start to flirt with some whore? I don't trust that girl. She seems suspicious."

Even though he could see Asuka's point, Shinji actually got angry. The redhead always insulted him and his dignity, putting him down and never acknowledging any of the things he did for her. He had jumped into a volcano to save her and she didn't even thank him. He cooked for her and she never uttered a word of gratitude, as if he was supposed to be her servant. But he never truly minded for that, because he knew Asuka was difficult to deal with and approach. But this was another matter: this was something he was doing for himself and that didn't concern her, and yet she followed him to keep degrading him even when he tried to relate to others instead of her. The young Ikari straightened and spoke angrily.

"So now I can't talk to anyone you don't allow me to?" Shinji asked strongly, surprising Asuka. She had seen the boy angry a few times, but it still shocked her when he got in a bad mood "So what is it, Asuka? I'm no good for anyone? The first person that talks to me has to be a spy and a whore, right? Otherwise she wouldn't bother talking with a spineless idiot like me, isn't that what you're saying?"

Asuka slapped him and left hurriedly.

.

'Idiot,' Asuka fumed walking through the streets, heading to her apartment 'I try to help him and this is how he repays me, by spitting me in the face. I should leave him to that slut and let him learn the lesson the hard way,' she thought angrily, quite tempted to go through with the idea. But she knew she couldn't do that. Asuka hid it, but she did have a conscience. And she knew that Shinji had done a lot for her and she still never repaid him - the fight in the volcano was still present in her mind, because she still felt she owed him one for that - and that leaving him like this would be cold even for her standards. Asuka wasn't stupid, and she wasn't a hormone ridden male like Shinji to not notice that Mana Kirishima was more than what met the eye. She had watched the girl when Suzuhara faced those bullies that harassed Shinji - she didn't want to admit it, but the jock's performance had managed to impress her - and she had seen the auburn haired girl's face as she watched the events unfold. It had been a calculating face, measuring everything, taking in every detail. No one had realized it, all lost in the excitement of the fight; but Asuka had suspected Mana ever since she first saw her. And the way the girl approached Shinji today only helped increase her concerns. Being honest with herself, Asuka admitted that Shinji was cute in a delicate sort of way, and the fact that he was a pilot made many girls instantly interested in him, but his personality and shyness drove everyone away. And this girl had come and managed to break through that almost instantly, without any problems... something that even Asuka couldn't do. That wasn't normal. Mana Kirishima wasn't normal. And if Shinji didn't look out for himself, then Asuka would do it to repay her debt to him, whether he liked it or not.

The redhead returned home and started to make plans about what to do.

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The sunset bathed Tokyo 3 with a reddish light. The shadows were lengthening in the abandoned warehouse, turning everything into a beautiful chiaroscuro. And amidst the lights and shadows, a figure stood thoughtful and lonely. Ryouji Kaji leaned against a rundown wall, panting heavily. He had been running as far as he could, but he'd been doing a desk job for too long and it showed. He was in shape, but nowhere near as he should have. And now the assassins were going to get him.

Kaji sighed. He knew this was it for him. Ocelot had explained to him that both NERV and SEELE knew of his position as a spy, but they let him continue snooping around because it was convenient to them. But that was no longer the case. Big Boss had finally made his ultimate move and taken SEELE out of the picture. Kaji was glad for that; he would have shaken the old warrior's hand if he had the chance, to thank him for terminating the madmen that had killed half the world's population at the beginning of the century, but that also meant that he no longer had SEELE's protection to allow him to stay in NERV. And right now, Gendo Ikari wasn't in a very pleasant mood. He had become extremely paranoid after the Ninja's attack on NERV, and distrusted everyone. Being a former SEELE agent, Kaji wasn't in his good graces. Which led to this situation: Kaji trapped in the middle of Tokyo 3 with Gendo's assassins coming after him. It had been a long chase, with Kaji trying to mask his traces as best as possible and the assassins picking up the smallest of clues to follow him, and it had all led to this rundown warehouse. Kaji was finally trapped.

He was outmatched, and he would die now. Kaji wished he could be in Misato's arms in his final moments; at least that way he'd go a happier man. But he knew it would be better this way. Better to disappear now while Misato was still distant from him instead of getting close to her and abandoning her again. Besides, Misato needed someone better than him. She needed a strong, reliable person in her life, someone that wouldn't leave her, that wouldn't hurt her. Kaji was not such man. Yes, it was better this way.

Footsteps. In the dark, greyish shadows, footsteps could be heard. Several men, Kaji had no doubt about it. Kaji didn't even bother to look. He knew that trying to escape would be pointless. Even if he somehow fooled Ikari's hitmen, they'd keep chasing him until he died. He had always expected to die this way; what else could he hope for if he'd been a spy for Big Boss for months by now?

"Oh, hi. You are a little late, aren't you?," he asked casually. Looking at the assassins, he saw that there were four of them, all pointing their handguns at him. Too much for him to handle. This was it.

Three shots rang in the old warehouse. And then a choked moan of pain came.

Kaji couldn't believe his eyes. Three of the assassins lay dead on the floor, while the last one was being held in a chokehold by... Big Boss. It couldn't be, but there it was. Big Boss choked the man until he passed out, and then released him. The old warrior had sneaked up upon them, grabbed the last one in a chokehold and shot the remaining three in the head with his Makarov handgun. And he hadn't made a noise in all of his actions. Kaji was flabbergasted. How had Big Boss moved so fast? How in hell had he been able to follow him and his attackers and ambush them so quickly? And, more important, what the hell was he doing right in the middle of Tokyo 3, the city controlled by his enemies?

Big Boss straightened himself, looking at his fallen enemies. He looked as imposing as when in his prime, tall and strong. He was wearing a long brown military trench coat, which Kaji identified as FOXHOUND's coat. What lay beneath couldn't be seen, but Kaji was almost sure the old man was dressed in combat gear. Standing in the reddish light amidst the beaten assassins, he looked like a vision came from a legend itself.

"Big Boss..." Kaji gasped.

"Agent Kaji," Big Boss nodded "We meet at last."

"Why are you here?" Kaji asked, flabbergasted. Big Boss had many things to do now, among which were completing the destruction of SEELE and facing NERV and the Japanese government on his own. To think that he would come to Tokyo 3 just for him was a little too much.

"You sacrificed yourself for our Heaven," Big Boss mused, nodding slightly "Now it's my turn. I'm not going to let a good man die without a reason."

"But didn't you have any other agents here?" Kaji asked, knowing all too well what an outstanding net of spies Big Boss had set in Japan. Cover agents were everywhere, although their work was mostly mundane, that of passing information from place to place and the such. While it was true that very few of them were actually capable of helping Kaji out of here, that didn't have to mean Outer Heaven's commander would come here himself to do the job.

"Ocelot has gone to Germany to retrieve Fox, Vamp and Raging Raven are on the US getting Units 03 and 04 under our control and Screaming Mantis is in charge of the exchange for Nulevoi," Big Boss explained. In truth, he wanted to come here because deep down, he was still a fighter... and he wasn't cut out to live behind a desk and send others to fight his war. That was the mark of cowards, and Big Boss was a true leader, the kind that never ordered something he couldn't do "I was the only one left. But there's another reason for me being here. I have important things to do here as well, namely getting our own Evangelion crew. I'll stay here for a short time and then we'll leave together."

Kaji nodded, knowing that his days as a playboy and living in the city were over. He was now an outlaw just like Big Boss, and would never be able to live a common life anymore. It was a sacrifice that very few managed to grasp before some years passed; from now on, he would be a marked man. But considering the alternatives, he preferred this a long way. What good could he do now that he was out of the game? Even if he survived, he was no longer useful to anyone and himself. And right now, the threat of Third Impact still existed, this time in Gendo Ikari's hands. No, he would do whatever necessary to stop this madness once and for all.

With Big Boss in the city, everything changed exponentially. The old man's combat prowess was such that many things could be accomplished, even in the middle of NERV's stronghold. Kaji quickly relayed his commander all his news while both men hurried towards a safe place Big Boss had set up earlier. Big Boss would be leaving the city in a few days, and there was much to do in that short span of time. Once safe, both men would contact Mana Kirishima and start to make plans.

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Walking next to Shinji, Mana talked easily with the boy. More and more she found what a kind person he truly was, something that would be very appreciated if she managed to make him turn to Outer Heaven's side. This was close to be a reality, now that she knew of the latest news. The girl silently replayed the last update Outer Heaven's spies had managed to deliver safely. Big Boss. Big Boss was in the city. That was huge. Mana knew first hand that the old man wasn't rusty at all. He was every bit as sharp as when he was young. The girl couldn't understand how, although she supposed it had to do with Big Boss' iron will. Still, that didn't matter now. She had to contact him, and soon, before he left the city. She would tell him about Suzuhara and her findings, and above that she would tell him about Shinji. Yes, the boy was really nice, and he seemed to like her. He was shy, but Mana had managed to make him like her. She thought the boy was nice too, and didn't mean him any harm, but this was way too important to ignore. She'd have to get a date with him, and then lead him to Big Boss.

Yes. She'd get Shinji away from NERV's grasp and take him to Outer Heaven's Commander. And then, Big Boss would get the best pilot on his side.

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**Author Notes 2:**

Well, there it is. This chapter was really complicated, because I had to rewrite the script several times. A lot of scenes for this part were removed and will be posted later on, such as Snake meeting Misato and the pilots and the fate of SEELE. But I didn't want this chapter to be so large that it would become a chore to read, so I cut it and made it a little shorter.

The scene which Mana breaks into the Hospital was actually going to be a part of the previous chapter. But since it had already gotten too big, I had to cut it and post it here. I thought about removing it permanently for some time, but in the end I found it too important to pass. Next chapter will deal more with the Suzuhara's plot, and it will turn into something very dramatic then. I hope that arc was good for you.

As for Fox's fighting scenes, I fervently hope you liked them. I loved to write about that; I mean, I hardly think there's anything cooler than the Cyborg Ninjas. Some of his moves were taken from Metal Gear Solid Rising's trailer, like when he sweep kicks a Tengu and slashes him in the air.

Big Boss is now in the city, and Mana is planning to take Shinji to him. Now that the whole 'Big Boss vs. SEELE' arc is finished, that will be the one to take priority. Snake will play his part soon too, and Ayanami will get some screen time at last. I would have wanted to include that sooner, but I couldn't skip the part where SEELE gets trounced.

As usual, I'm open to any comments you want to make, whether it is you liked this or you hated it. Anything you want to say, just leave a review and I'll take it into account. Thanks for reading.

Devil Boss


	9. Beginnings

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own any of the characters from the Evangelion and Metal Gear Solid universes; they belong to Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, GAINAX Studios, Hideo Kojima, Shoji Shinkawa, Kojima Productions and Konami Studios.

**Author Notes:**

I know, I know. I suck. I said I'd update faster and I didn't. Believe me it wasn't due to a lack of effort. But a few doubts entered my mind when I discovered a few mistakes I was about to make, so I had to rethink some things before writing this chapter. In the end it became longer than I expected, even though not as much as the last one. I hope you like it, especially since it finally deals with Snake joining NERV once and for all. I can't believe it took me seven chapters to get there, but I guess the story became complex on its own.

This chapter deals with some of the consequences of the previous one, such as SEELE's fate, what happens with Snake and Big Boss' doings now that he's on Tokyo 3. Slowly but surely, things are closing into a major confrontation.

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**Chapter 7: Beginnings**

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Former SEELE chairman Keel Lorenz found himself in a vast room, waiting to be attended. The whole thing was ironic: he was the one that made others wait, not the other way around. But he no longer had any power, which sadly put him in service of others that held more influence than him. For a man that was used to rule half of the world and intended to become a god, the idea was simply outrageous. And yet, there was one good side. Keel had become too used to power for his own good. He had gotten rusty and arrogant, and he had paid dearly for that. Big Boss and Gendo Ikari had tricked him due to his own overblown confidence. Now that he was on his own, he was forced to resort to his own ingenuity to survive again. He could still bring Instrumentality, if he played his cards right. No one would even know about his objectives until it was too late.

After Big Boss had exposed him, Keel and SEELE had been targeted by the Patriots. The rulers of the Western countries had been looking for them for two decades by now, and were readily prepared to erase them if they happened to find them. When SEELE's supercomputer was exposed, the Patriots responded swiftly. Nine of the twelve council members were assassinated in the following hours, four of them in public. It was obvious the Patriots would stop at nothing to terminate them. Keel had managed to escape due to his own cunning - he had even resorted to use his own Luger pistol to kill one of the assassins - help from some loyal people and sheer luck. The former chairman didn't believe in the latter, but his escape had been nothing short of miraculous. Aside from him, two other council members had managed to escape with their lives. Being the most paranoid members, SEELE 06 and SEELE 07 had been heavily prepared for any kind of contingency and were able to respond in kind to all the killers the Patriots had sent after them. The three SEELE members had met afterwards and agreed upon the next course of action. Which was why Keel was here, waiting to be attended by the Patriots, standing in a large dark room, ready to fool the Patriots and try to achieve Instrumentality one last time.

The cavernous room almost resembled a large narcissus field. White flowers shimmered, appearing and disappearing, fooling the eyes and giving the place an eerie feeling, as if it was sacred territory. Keel was wondering why the Patriots would use this imagery when something happened.

A holographic image appeared in front of Keel. Whoever it was, it was a tall old man, wearing a brown trench coat Keel was sadly familiar with. The old man turned around, a smug expression on his face, and Keel's insides burned with rage.

"You!"

Laughter filled the chamber, and the image that had appeared in front of him smirked... Big Boss was standing in front of him, mocking him in his defeat...! The laughter continued, mean and void at the same time, coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. And then, Big Boss changed, shifting forms in front of Keel's eyes.

Now it was Gendo Ikari standing in front of him. Instead of Big Boss' FOXHOUND coat, he was wearing his NERV business suit. And his face displayed that arrogant smirk he always wore when he defied SEELE, that smirk Keel hated so much.

Gendo Ikari changed into someone else. Tabris was now standing before him, and Keel couldn't help but let out a growl of rage at the sight of the traitorous creature. The young Angel had disappeared during the Patriots' attacks, but Keel knew where he had gone...

Tabris smiled warmly and disappeared as well, shifting into an image of Keel himself. The fake Keel smirked, and raised a Luger pistol to his own head, pointing at his temple. He fired, but only a click came as his gun was empty. Several times he fired with the same result, and the same hideous laughter kept ringing in the dark.

"Stop this foolishness!" Keel exploded, having had enough for one day "I demand to know who you are!"

The laughter stopped at once. And then silence came, an oppressive silence that was terrible in the darkness, smothering everything around Keel. When the voice came, it sounded far louder than it would have any other time.

"We are not what you would call... human."

What? What kind of foe had SEELE been facing for the past decades? Keel had always wondered who the Wisemen Committee members were, but this... this was too much. Still, he didn't believe he was being lied to. He had grown used to bizarre things in his years dealing with Angels and the Supernatural.

"Over the past two hundred years, a kind of consciousness formed layer by layer in the world's memes..." the voice continued, although the image shaped into Big Boss again, as if to keep mocking Keel for his failure "Not unlike the way life started in the ocean four billion years ago. Mankind's memes and information were our primordial soup, a base of evolution. We are the guardians of this world, here to erase everything which hinders the human race. You believed evolution was impossible; we know evolution can be spurred. We are information, we are values, we are concepts; as such, we are formless, eternal, unreachable."

"You are an A.I," Keel gasped, unbelieving. So this was it. The truth behind mankind's true leaders. A set of computers that had taken control of everything... that controlled every life on Earth, now that SEELE was out of the picture. The thought was sickening. It was sacrilegious.

"You may call us JD," the voice said, a light chuckle following the words.

'JD... John Doe?' Keel wondered silently. Should that be the name, then everything about the Patriots would remain an enigma. Nothing could be deduced from that name...

"So, what's it going to be, Keel Lorenz, former SEELE chairman?" JD asked at last, as if enjoying the tense atmosphere "You managed to escape our forces, just like two other of your councilmen, and yet you surrendered to us just a few days later. What do you seek from us now that it was important enough to desist from an attempted escape?"

"I only ask for the chance to get my revenge," Keel spoke, taking the jab in stride and knowing that his next words could be either his undoing or the next step in the tortuous path to Godhood "Big Boss and Gendo Ikari stripped me and my council from achieving Godhood and perfection for humanity. Now that the chance is lost forever, I simply wish to make them pay for condemning mankind to pettiness for the rest of eternity. I wish to avenge Instrumentality."

Heavy silence met his words. Keel stood fast, aware that he probably was being thoroughly scanned by lie detectors now. Well, if that was the case, he was prepared. His body had so artificial components to keep functioning that it was very easy to regulate some functions like blood pressure and such. In the end, what he was asking was a position of power within the Patriots' ranks. Enough force to destroy the people that had destroyed his organization and his dreams. Of course, that was a façade. Should he get the chance, he'd spur Instrumentality without a second thought. He knew Big Boss wouldn't harm ADAM's embryo just to prevent the possibility of another Second Impact, and therefore the chance to elevate men into God was still possible. What he needed to do was to offer the Patriots something in exchange; should he do it right, he could remain in the game for a while longer.

"Our objectives run together in many ways. I want to destroy those which destroyed me, and in doing so I'll dispose of some very challenging enemies for you. And not only that, I do have information and resources you don't, so advanced that it would take you years to develop them. For starters, I do know that you haven't readied Evangelion Units by yourselves, instead opting to fund the Metal Gear project and wait to steal the Evangelion from us."

JD's cold, dead voice responded at last.

"We already have control of seven of your Mass Produced Evangelions. Soon the others will be in our power too. There is nothing you can offer to us that has any real value," cold as it had been, the voice brought Keel a modicum of joy: the conversation had shifted right at where he wanted it, and now it was time to play his best card.

"There's one you'll never get," Keel smirked. It was time to reveal one of his best kept secrets, far earlier than intended; but desperate times called for desperate measures "Evangelion Unit 06. The last and most advanced model," The fact that the Unit had been readied so soon before SEELE's destruction had been nothing short of providential "It has a working S2 engine, as well as all the most advanced features of all the remaining Evangelion. Of all the units, Evangelion Unit 01 is the only one that could match it, and only if we consider its berserker state," stony silence met his words, and Keel knew he had an edge now, for the first time since the conversation began "Not to mention the pilot of the Unit. He's been subjected to the most advanced training, and has beaten all previous records of any other pilot to date. His skills are unparalleled by any other pilot candidate in existence."

Keel made a sign with his hands and one person walked forward, leaving the darkness it had previously stood in to now stand next to Keel in front of Big Boss' hologram, which was the image JD had kept during the whole conversation.

Tall and elegant, the newcomer seemed imposing. And yet as he stepped forward, it became clear he was still in his teens, not a day older than fifteen. But everything about him spoke of deadly confidence and lurking danger, tinted with a gracefulness that could undoubtedly ensnare many. Dressed in fatigues and a long trench coat, the young man looked calm. His face had very attractive features, marked with elegant and yet strong curves. A mane of light brown hair gave him an untamed air. And his eyes were blue, the clearest shade of it, shining with passion, hatred and intelligence. Looking at them was dangerous in itself, for they masked many threats and dangers.

The most important thing was that this teenager was the spitting image of a young Liquid Snake.

"This is SEELE's trump card," Keel stated, as the young man walked forward. He didn't notice the hateful look the teenager gave him when he called him 'trump card'. But JD did, and it would have smiled had it been capable of human emotion. The Patriots' main A.I was far more used to the game of deceit and treason than Keel was, and it had already detected a weak spot in the man's schemes "This is Liquid Snake's son, made to be the perfect Evangelion pilot, unmatched by any other. This is Evangelion Unit 06's pilot, Acid Snake."

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Again Misato Katsuragi found herself walking through the Geo Front. This last weeks had been nothing short of exhausting, although that could very well change soon. Campbell had made true to his promise, and now she would be meeting Solid Snake. Solid Snake! Misato's girlish side couldn't help but squeal a bit at the thought. She had heard of his exploits throughout her entire military career. Every private, sub officer or officer had heard of him. The man was a living legend, known for making the impossible possible. In the mayhem that things had become lately, having him on their side was a tremendous advantage, as well as an excellent boost for the base morale. His fight against the Ninth Angel had reached myth status already, with some people already saying that he had been the one to kill the Angel instead of Rei. And while that wasn't true, he had duelled the thing, and that in itself was a feat that no normal person could ever achieve. As of now, only a few knew that he was going to be working for the UN and NERV. Just the Commander - Fuyutsuki hadn't appeared since his return the previous day, after the successful exchange for Big Boss' agent - Roy Campbell, Ritsuko and Misato herself. It would be a few days before he was let free again; Ritsuko needed to perform some medical check ups and Misato needed to get familiar with him, if they were going to work together.

Ritsuko had kept him in the medical wing for some hours just to oversee his health status and such. Now that the woman was done, they'd gone to the briefing room which Misato was now about to enter. Campbell and the blond doctor were already there. Misato exhaled and got inside.

The room was well lit, with Campbell standing in front of a man sitting on a chair. Next to a table nearby, Ritsuko turned to the Captain and welcomed her with a nod. Campbell turned around to see her and in doing so revealed the man in the chair, which turned out to be Solid Snake himself. The legend stood up slowly.

'Damn, how old is he? 43? And he's still hot...' stupidly enough, that was what Misato's mind first came up with. The man was tough, but certainly very attractive. He had a rough face, with a beard that looked quite rugged, but his eyes were the clearest blue Misato had ever seen. And he was incredibly well built for someone his age. It was clear he'd taken care of staying in shape for all these years. Snake fixed his eyes on her, and Misato felt her heart beat a little faster. But she knew she had to look professional now; she was NERV's Operations Director and he was the only man that could truly help them in the war against Big Boss. It didn't matter that he was incredibly hot, that she'd had a crush on him in the academy and that he had freaking fought an Angel by himself. No, it didn't matter at all.

"Solid Snake, I'm Captain Misato Katsuragi," Misato addressed the man with a strong, clear voice. She had been the one to take him in custody, although she doubted he had seen her clearly then. He had just awoken from his fight with the Ninth Angel then "It is an honour to work alongside a living legend like yourself," there, that was it. She'd done well, right? She had kept herself in line, and hadn't made any stupid mistakes in front of the man she'd crushed on for years.

Snake, on the other hand, kept completely silent. He just regarded the woman in front of him with calm eyes, which Misato felt were piercing her.

"..."

"What is it?" the Captain finally couldn't help it anymore, a sad frown forming in her face. Had she screwed up already? Maybe something she'd said had pissed him off...

But a small smile formed itself on Snake's face. It was an amused kind of smile, one that carried a certain mischief and made him more appealing to her. Misato had to make an effort not to blush; Christ, this man certainly had an effect on people.

"Nothing," Snake finally answered in flawless Japanese. Misato remembered that his file said he was fluent in six languages "...I wouldn't have thought I'd enjoy working here so much."

Misato was dumbfounded. Had he actually complimented her? That smile and appreciative stare surely helped things "...You're just flattering me."

"No, I'm serious," Snake said quite happily, his voice smoother than Kaji's ever was "Well, I know I won't get bored in the next months."

"C'mon," Misato smiled, resorting to her own devastating teasing weapons. If she could get Kaji and everyone else horny, she could do the same with Snake "I can't believe I'm being hit on by the famous Solid Snake. But I'm surprised. You're not what I was expecting at all."

"Looks like we both have a lot to learn from each other."

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Walking through Tokyo 3's streets, Makoto Hyouga couldn't help but feel terribly depressed. He had been fired. He had been fired by Commander Ikari himself, after Section 2 investigated enough and found out that the Cyborg Ninja that had maimed the Commander had entered the Geo Front using Hyouga's ride. The Commander hadn't been pleased about it. He had made sure to destroy Hyouga's self esteem with his cold words and then promptly fired him for his incompetence. Makoto's crushed feelings not only came for being out of a job, but because he knew he had failed everyone at NERV.

Working for NERV had been a dream come true. It was tough, demanding, and overall very stressful, but at least he got to work with the best minds on the planet, and the most advanced technology ever made. Not only that, he got to work with the Evangelions too, probably the most prodigious creation mankind had done. And he also got the chance to do something useful for others too... stressful as it was; it was a gift for him. A geek, a nerd in the classic sense of the word, got the chance to actually fight for others in his own way. But now it was over.

Makoto couldn't help but think about Captain Katsuragi, and how disappointed she must have been in him, after all her efforts to stop the ninja and Revolver Ocelot. And he'd never told her about how he felt for her too, although she probably already knew. Well, he stood no chance now. Another thing he had lost due to his own stupidity.

Makoto walked dejectedly towards his apartment. He moved through a small, dirty alley that served as a shortcut to his home. This part of the city wasn't exactly perfect, but with his work at NERV he never had time to move out somewhere else. Robberies did happen here from time to time, although nothing had ever happened to him. Maybe it was because he belonged to NERV and no one wanted to mess with the powerful organization, or maybe he was just lucky. That didn't matter now anymore: he'd move out, and probably leave the city once and for all.

A man was standing in the alley, leaning against a wall. Makoto didn't particularly like his appearance, so he walked faster to get past him as soon as possible. He was coldly eyed by the other.

The man blocked his path, his intentions clearly aggressive. He was tall and broad, with a physique that was carefully honed with training. He was dressed like a civilian, but something in his posture, in his face and demeanour said that this man probably belonged to Section 2. But that couldn't be it... they wouldn't kill him like that, would they?

The answer came a second later. The man raised his right hand, and a Glock 17 pistol shone in the dark alley, pointing at Makoto's heart. Makoto was defenceless, out in the open and too far to try to attack him with his fists. And he no longer had his NERV issue handgun to protect himself.

His life flashed in front of his eyes. He was a little boy, looking up to his mother. He witnessed reports on the Second Impact on the news, his family around him, all looking at the Television screen with dread. The years that came after, and the chaos that engulfed the whole world in that time. Him getting to Tokyo 2's university, and studying like hell for several years. Ritsuko Akagi appearing in front of him and offering him to work for NERV. Him getting to know Misato Katsuragi. And the moment when he climbed into the van during the blackout, not realizing the Cyborg Ninja was climbing on the back, easily infiltrating NERV... all of it flashed in a millisecond, all while he saw the assassin raise his handgun and take aim, all while a shot rang in the alley and a life ended.

And then the man dropped to the floor, his gun falling from his hands as a bullet struck his head. There had been no noise; the shot had been silenced. Makoto looked at the thug in disbelief.

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Sergeant Tokugen Aito was no rookie. He was a former JSSDF soldier, recruited by NERV years ago to be a part of the security force known as Section 2. He'd done many kinds of dirty jobs in the years he'd served, and termination wasn't something exactly new to him. This wasn't the first time the higher ups ordered a NERV member or former member eliminated for some reason either. This time, one Makoto Hyouga was to be terminated as swiftly as possible. That was the order, and no questions were asked. They weren't there to ask, but to do. And that was why eight men had been sent to carry out the order.

The plan was easy. Surveillance reports - all important NERV members were under watch - pointed that their target used to enter his apartment complex through a small alley on the west side. Hyouga would enter while Aito hid on the back, and his partner Ishikawa would attack from the front. Ishikawa was to be the one to kill Hyouga, but should he fail Aito would finish the job. Just as precaution, the remaining six assassins were hidden inside the complex, ready to ambush the man if he got away. Eight Section 2 members to kill one geeky technician. In short, a job as easy as they came.

Or so he thought. Because Hyouga had entered the alley - completely unaware of Aito hiding behind a dumpster - and by now a shot should have been heard, signalling his death. But no such thing had happened. Knowing something must have gone wrong; Aito peeked into the alley and briefly felt shock at seeing Ishikawa lying on the ground with Hyouga still standing before a sharp pain on his back made everything fade to black.

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Hearing a groan of pain and a thud behind him, Makoto turned around and saw another thug fall to the floor, this one also carrying a handgun. His surprise started to turn into utter shock; he couldn't understand what the hell was going on.

But still, being a former member of NERV, Makoto did receive some training in weapons and self defense. True, right now he couldn't understand what was happening, but he knew he couldn't stay here in the open, specially considering that there could be other assassins nearby. Quickly pulling himself together, Makoto decided that he couldn't go and get the attackers' guns or try to make a run for it in the streets, since he didn't know from where could he be targeted. Following that resolve, he chose to go back to his apartment, where he kept another handgun, and call for help from there. Makoto turned to his right and went through the door to the building, knowing his life was at stake here.

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Section 2 Agent Miroku Numataka didn't know what the hell was going on. As of now, the guy they were supposed to kill should be dead. But he hadn't heard a thing, not even a struggle. He knew this geek they were hunting down wasn't a good fighter, which made everything a lot more confusing. Neither Ishikawa nor Aito had killed the guy, which meant that it was his turn to act. Standing inside the building, in a corridor that ended in the alley, Numataka gave a sign to his partner Kairi Takahashi and both men walked towards the door. This Hyouga man would have to come through the door if he wanted to enter the building, and when he did, he'd find two assassins with guns drawn, ready to erase him.

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Makoto kicked the door open and got inside the building. The sight that greeted him left him paralyzed. Two more men were here, both armed as well, and both dead. It was surreal: someone had taken a great effort to kill him, and somehow he had some sort of guardian angel that stopped everyone from harming him. Makoto felt like he had been caught in a vicious crossfire, but he was the target this time. Inhaling, Makoto and ran away, climbing the auxiliary stairs and going to his apartment at full speed, desperately looking for some protection. He reached the third floor - his apartment was on the fifth - when he saw yet another thug down, a vacant look on his eyes. The former NERV member couldn't believe it. It was as if some sort of ghost was hunting down all the would-be killers.

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"What the fuck is going on?" Ikuto Sato whispered to his superior, Sergeant Ensei Yokida. He, Yokida and a third man named Ootsubo were on the fifth floor, ready to ambush Makoto Hyouga when he came up. None of them could understand why the other five men had failed.

"I don't know, but it's obvious this man's got help," Yokida whispered back. The three of them were pointing their guns at the auxiliary stairs, where they could hear steps coming up. But their partner Masamura had been posted there, and he hadn't made a move to kill the man. The three remaining assassins knew he'd been beaten. And they knew they were next.

"That bastard is coming up," Sato grunted unbelievingly "He's still coming up here, even after taking five men out!"

"It wasn't him," Yokida hissed back "He has to have help from someone. No man is capable of this. We have to stay alert for any signs of another strike team here."

It was then than Sato turned his head to look around and saw that their partner Ootsubo, that had been standing right next to them and pointing his gun at the stairs, was now lying down on the floor with his throat slit.

"My God!" Sato blurted out, absolutely spooked "B-But how in living hell...! Who the...!"

"Quiet!" Yokida hissed "We're exposed here! Let's retreat to the target's apartment!" turning around, he checked the corridor and opened Hyouga's door, ready to ambush the man and then get the hell away from there.

No one answered him. Yokida glanced back and saw that Sato was down too, being impossible to tell whether he was dead or unconscious.

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Panting in terror and physical exhaustion, Makoto reached the fifth floor. He took a peek into the corridor and saw that yet two more men were there, both dead too. The geek felt torn at this: it was clear the assassins knew where he lived and planned accordingly... which made him getting inside his apartment quite foolish. But on the other hand, leaving was just as dangerous. There could be more of them, lurking in the large building. He might even come across that terrifying ghost that was killing absolutely everyone; he couldn't say if the mysterious attacker was protecting him or just killing everyone in sight. And his gun was in the apartment, very near him... if he ran, he'd probably die. If he stayed, he'd probably die as well, but at least he'd have a slight chance of defending himself...

Makoto made his decision and went to his apartment slowly. He opened the door and went to his bedroom, where he kept his handgun, as stealthily as possible. The apartment looked good enough, with no dead bodies here and nothing looking out of place. Maybe there had been only seven attackers... although that still left the question of who'd been the one to kill them all. Makoto moved to his bedroom, keeping anxiety at bay as best as he could, knowing that at least some level of safety was just a few meters ahead. The former technician entered his room, and went to retrieve his gun.

A loud noise behind him caught his attention, and when Makoto turned around he saw a man just like the others, with a gun pointed at his heart. The technician knew that there would be no escape this time; his own gun was a few feet away, safely stored in a nightstand, and he would never reach it in time. That, and he wasn't such a good shot, certainly not good enough to beat a man that was obviously trained to kill.

It might have been because of the adrenaline in his blood, and the danger that heightened all his senses, but Makoto realized in those fleeting instants that this man was absolutely furious and terrified at the same time. It probably was because what had happened to all of his partners. The former NERV technician felt an inexplicable deep sorrow at knowing he would die without being able to explain that he hadn't been the one to take all the other men out.

"Got you, bastard," the man said, raising his gun to Makoto's head.

But a figure rushed him before he could shoot, moving so fast it was hard to see what it was doing, and yet in a terrifyingly absolute silence. Makoto tried to follow its actions, and yet the first thing he caught clearly was that the assassin was now down on the floor, dead just like the rest, and that the figure that had saved his life was an old man now standing in front of him with a calm face. Makoto looked at said face and felt a shock even bigger than the previous ones.

Being a military geek, he could recognize Big Boss' face in an instant. The question was, what was Big Boss doing here, and why had he saved his life. The whole thing was... bizarre.

"Y-Y-You are..." Makoto's voice faltered, failing him. The danger seemed to have passed, and his body was only now starting to feel the effects of the emotional strain it had suffered. For the first time, Makoto realized he was shaking all over. He took a few steps backwards without even noticing it. Big Boss had killed eight men all by himself, and was now standing in front of him. Makoto had seen the empty look on the attackers' eyes after they died. He had seen the injuries they had suffered, precise and cold, purposefully caused to bring death.

"Makoto Hyouga," Big Boss said, his rough sandpapery voice filling the room, imposing and yet calming at the same time. Makoto was immediately snapped by the sound, and as his eyes locked with Big Boss' he saw that the old man had a knowing look on his face, as if he'd seen situations like this before. Big Boss took a step forward in a quite unthreatening way "Calm down. I'm not here to hurt you. All I'm going to do is to offer you the possibility of a new life. A life outside of this hell."

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"And then we kicked the Angel together, slamming it near Lake Ashino and with a whole second to spare," Shinji Ikari said, smiling softly. Next to him were walking his fellow pilots Rei Ayanami and Asuka Soryu, as well as his newfound friend Mana Kirishima. The group was headed to school, and Mana had easily put Shinji in a talking mood.

"Wow, that's incredible!" Mana exclaimed. Normally, she had to pretend she gave a damn about the people she related with during a mission, but this time... she was actually surprised for real. Shinji had been telling her about the battle against the Seventh Angel, the one he had beaten along with Asuka in a coordinated attack, and Mana had been shocked by the tale. It seemed the pilots were tougher than she thought, if they were capable of doing such things. And their bond might be sterner than she thought too, which could be detrimental for her plans.

"Yeah, but this idiot forgets to mention he screwed up the last step and made us both crash," Asuka snorted, glaring at Shinji. She wasn't glad to make conversation with Mana, but like hell would she allow others to ignore her like that. Walking behind them, Rei didn't seem to mind that at all.

"Okay, but you still make such an awesome team," Mana said sweetly, making Asuka hate her even more. Next to her, Shinji smiled again and Mana felt her insides turn and twist; jeez, was she starting to truly like this boy? It might have been because he was just so nice... it was hard not to like him.

"You really think so?" Shinji asked, making Asuka force a calm face at his stupidity. The redhead watched everything intently, focused on detecting anything out of the ordinary with Mana.

"Yeah," Mana smiled "I'm sure no one could do what you did that time," she added with a thoughtful look "And you said the battle took place near Lake Ashino?" getting a nod from Shinji, Mana mused softly "I heard it's such a beautiful place... I've wanted to visit it since I came to the city."

"Well, it is nice," Shinji agreed "It's really scenic and there are a few souvenir shops and things like that," he added, while Mana mused that there were also some old warehouses and the such in the area. A perfect place for Big Boss to make his move, should she bring Shinji to him.

"I've wanted to see it since I arrived," Mana repeated sadly "But there's no fun doing it alone..."

Asuka's anger skyrocketed at that. From the corner of her eye, she saw Rei's face harden slightly before regaining its passive look again. The German girl was disgusted at Mana's words, any doubt she could have had about her being more than met the eye erased forever: that little bitch had controlled the entire conversation, leading it where she wanted, and now she was manipulating Shinji with mastery. She knew Shinji wasn't one make any bold decisions, so she left him with a way to go out with her without taking the initiative: she didn't want to go alone, and Shinji would offer her company because he was kind enough to do it. It wasn't the boy asking her out, because he wouldn't dare to do that on his own, not with his self-esteem issues.

"Look, Shinji..." Asuka started to say, but the boy didn't hear her before talking himself.

"Well, I wouldn't mind going again," Shinji said, not realizing he was asking Mana out and that he was playing right into her hands "We could go this Saturday, I have nothing to do then."

"Really? You would do that for me?" Mana said, her face lighting up. Shinji was fooled by it, but Asuka wasn't; it's impossible to look at things the same way once you learn a hidden truth. Mana suddenly hugged Shinji "Oh Shinji, thank you! It's so nice of you to do this for me!"

"Come on First, lets leave these two lovebirds alone," Asuka said while Shinji stuttered in Mana's embrace. Asuka didn't give Rei any time to react, strongly grabbing her by her forearm and dragging her away to the schoolyard.

"Pilot Soryu," Rei said in her low voice "You are hurting me," she said, stoically refusing to let out any signs of pain.

Asuka released her once she realized that she had been keeping quite a tight grip on her arm. The redhead made sure that no one was nearby and faced her fellow pilot with resolve. She had never liked the First Child, but desperate times required desperate measures.

"All right First," Asuka started, hands on hips "I don't like you and I'm pretty sure you don't like me, if you have any feelings beneath that doll-like face of yours. But I think we both can agree that that slut Kirishima is definitely up to something here."

"I do not think she is a slut," Rei said neutrally "But I do find some of her actions... disturbing," the bluehead was surprised at her own words. Mana Kirishima had done nothing to warrant suspicion. She hadn't attacked anyone, she hadn't asked for any kind of information; she hadn't wanted to get to see any classified material. And yet, her actions did disturb Rei in some way. Mana was too close to Ikari, and she didn't like it.

"That's something we agree upon," Asuka declared, huffing angrily "That bitch's been playing the fool since she got here, but she has manipulated Shinji into doing everything she wanted. Not only that, she managed to become his friend while everyone else never stood a chance."

"Her progress at approaching him has been uncanny," Rei mused, agreeing with Asuka. It was a weird sight; both female pilots tended to be complete opposites. And yet, they both held quite similar opinions regarding the Third Child.

"Exactly!" Asuka exclaimed, pleased to see that she was making some sort of progress with the First "And that's exactly why we have to do something about it!" Rei simply tilted her head to one side, keeping silent but still asking the meaning behind Asuka's words. The redhead sighed in exasperation "We have to try to discover what Kirishima's motives are, you idiot! I-we should learn about what she wants with Shinji, and why does she manipulate him like this!" Rei kept silent, and Asuka felt very strong urges to strangle her right there and then "Verdammt, First, we have to do something! You have to help me find out what she wants!"

"If I am ordered to, I will," those words, that simple phrase, it was almost the embodiment of everything Asuka Langley Soryu hated about Rei Ayanami. She had been rejected by them, dismissed like if she were undesirable, unneeded. But to hear them when referring Shinji, a boy that had done a lot for the bluehead, to hear the words be used with the same detachment that she regarded everything with, it was a little too much for Asuka.

"Don't you dare give me that now!" Asuka snapped, closing in and entering Rei's personal space "You say you're not a doll, then prove it! Act for yourself at least once! Don't you care about him even a bit? After all he's done for you?" the girl continued, not wanting to think about how much her words were directed at herself as well "Didn't we say we would look after each other? You have to do something, First!"

It was one of the few times in her life that Rei Ayanami found herself unsure about what to do. She had received no order whatsoever to assist the Second Child in her crusade to learn about Mana Kirishima's intentions. There would be no point in alerting NERV since so far Kirishima had done nothing out of the ordinary, save some strange glances, gestures and the way she had approached the Third Child. Given such a situation, her logical course of action would have been to forget about the matter and let things run their course, but now... she found that she couldn't do that. This wasn't one of the Second Child's attempts to get attention, nor was it a foolish adventure of sorts, this was serious and involved the Third Child. Ikari... he broke every parameter she had known in her life. He cared for her, just because she was alive. He smiled for her, tried to protect her, to help her, simply because she existed, without wanting anything in return. Such a kind, selfless being; it was something Rei had never known so far in her whole life. Everyone around her did things waiting for something in return. Everyone in NERV put up with her because she had a purpose there. But Ikari was different. He simply paid attention to her because of her, and sought nothing in exchange. It was done purely out of goodwill... and that had gotten to her, breaking past many of her beliefs, and actually showing her what feelings were.

Considering that, she also felt the need to act in consequence. She would try to assist Ikari, so much as her limited means allowed her to. She would protect him, so long as she drew breath. Even if it meant aiding Soryu in what probably was little more than a senseless chase.

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In the briefing room Campbell, Ritsuko and Misato were still making the final arrangements with Philanthropy's field operative. Misato had already called the three pilots and they were on their way to the Geo Front to meet Snake and learn about the updates in security.

"I take it you already know what there is to know about NERV, right?" Ritsuko asked.

"The Colonel's briefed me already," Snake nodded, pointing to Campbell with his head. Campbell had told Snake everything regarding NERV's history, as well as all relevant matters concerning the security of both the Geo Front and the pilots. While normally NERV would never trust an outsider with such delicate information, Snake had an old enmity with Big Boss and that made it very unlikely for him to betray them. Snake was good, but he couldn't take Outer Heaven on all by himself. Campbell had vouched for him as well; placing himself on the line should Snake betray them.

"Then you know that your mission here will be assisting NERV in its war against Big Boss, as well as upgrading security in the Geo Front in order to prevent more infiltration attacks like the one performed on Commander Ikari ten days ago," Misato said, receiving a nod from Snake in response. The Captain moved onto the next unhappy assignment "You'll be acting as a bodyguard for the Children as well."

"I remember," Snake grimaced, recalling his reaction when Campbell first told him about that particular task "First I'm strip searched by Dr. Akagi, then I'm assigned as a babysitter. Imagine yourself put in that kind of position."

"If you manage to get in the Children's good graces, maybe I'll let you do a strip search on me," Misato teased back, getting a smile out of Snake and completely ignoring Ritsuko's face palming.

"I'll hold you to that, Captain."

"An apartment has been assigned to you and your partners, once they arrive," Ritsuko went on "It's located in the same building as Captain Katsuragi's. Since two of the pilots live there, we thought it would be best if you were nearby in case of emergency," Snake nodded again, thinking of how he was risking a lot as well. This could very well be a trap for the rest of Philanthropy to come out of hiding and be exterminated once and for all. Many powerful people wanted them gone. But once again, Campbell proved to be the connecting bridge between NERV and Philanthropy. He wouldn't take part in such an underhanded move, and even NERV was risking a lot by giving Snake some space to move freely inside their base. All in all, the odds were even for both sides.

What Snake hadn't said was that part of his and Philanthropy's objectives was destroying all the Evangelions once the Angel war was over.

"You'll be kept under watch for the time being," Ritsuko said, keeping a clear voice "I hope you understand that we are in no position to take risks as of now. You are still a wanted terrorist worldwide."

"I am a terrorist," Snake admitted with no hint of remorse "But that doesn't make me a man that kills innocent people for no reason. I have destroyed many advanced weapons which had the capacity to make a nuclear strike in any place of the world with almost no way to be stopped. I fight for what I believe in. I don't carry guns to take people down," sighing, Snake fixed his eyes on the doctor "But don't worry; I can understand you keeping tabs on me. I'd do the same thing if I were in your place."

"Snake..." Misato said softly, and the man turned to look at her. The Captain resolved to ask what had been bothering her and be done with it "I've been meaning to ask you this since I first saw you: why did you come here? Why getting to Tokyo 3? Why now?"

"A friend of mine got word that an old foe was in this city," Snake said, recalling how he predicted that if he and Otacon came things would get a lot more complicated. It turned out he had been completely right yet again "Revolver Ocelot," the legendary warrior grunted, frowning at the name. He still had a rivalry with the old gunslinger, and a score to settle as well. So far, neither man had been able to outmatch the other, but this could very well be their last encounter "He's the responsible for the spread of Metal Gear Rex's blueprints all over the world, as well as a major investor in the biggest five Private Military Companies. He wasn't above spreading the blueprints of the deadliest Metal Gear to date in 2005, so I doubt he'd be above doing the same thing with the Evangelion now," he finished with a grunt. His three interlocutors regarded him very seriously; well aware he was on the right. Misato winced slightly as she recalled her duel with the man, and felt a pang of anger stir within her. That monster was probably capable of mass producing Evangelion units, should that suit his needs. Snake caught on Misato's body language and remembered his briefing, when Campbell told him the Captain had duelled Ocelot and escaped alive. He felt his respect for her go up a notch "I've been working with some people to destroy all the Metal Gear variations throughout the world, but if he got to steal Evangelion Units, it would be a whole different matter altogether. My friends and I, we couldn't let that happen."

"So you work to stop madmen from getting potentially devastating weapons for themselves," Misato mused with a small smile, lost in thought "I can sympathize with that..."

The thoughtful silence that followed was cut when the door opened and the three pilots got inside the room with Asuka in the lead. The girl looked calm but her eyes betrayed her eagerness, while Shinji looked solemn and Rei kept as expressionless as ever, if not for a little curiosity that flashed in her eyes.

"Snake..." Shinji said, looking at the man he had come to appreciate, even in such a small time as they had shared, with his trademark shyness and yet solemnity in his eyes.

"Shinji," Snake nodded, already familiar with the boy. Asuka looked at her fellow pilot with a slightly envious glance before stepping in front of the legendary soldier. Snake gave her a thoughtful look before speaking.

"And you are Asuka Soryu, the Second Child," the man said, greeting her with a small smile. He then switched to German, addressing the girl with a calm voice "We never got time to properly meet each other. I'm sure we'll get along just fine."

"Hmph, well I hope so," Asuka responded in German, quite impressed with Snake's fluency in the language "I keep saying Shinji here needs someone to watch out for him, because he is a trouble magnet," Snake chuckled and Asuka laughed in kind. Next to her, Shinji gave them a confused look, having heard his name in all that German talk. Asuka wouldn't say it, but she was thankful someone like Snake would be guarding them now. NERV was facing enemies that were beyond the realm of normal, and it would do no good to face them alone. Misato's fights with Ocelot and the Ninja had shaken her deep down, since the woman almost died twice after them. It was really calming to know that they had the only man to ever beat them and survive on their side now. Switching back to Japanese, Asuka said "Well, it's nice to meet you, Solid Snake. Or should I say Iroquois Pliskin?"

"Hmm, I see you've read the files on the Big Shell incident," Snake said, smirking. Those files were highly classified, but it was no wonder an agency such as NERV could have access to them "But that was just an alias. Call me Snake, and I'll call you Asuka," the redhead smiled and nodded. Standing at the side, Misato smiled as well. It was good to see that Asuka hadn't behaved like a brat like she used to do sometimes. Still, she noticed that Snake hadn't said his real name. No one present knew what that name was.

"And you must be Rei Ayanami," Snake said, turning to the quiet blueheaded girl. Rei fixed her eyes in his before bowing politely.

"It is an honor to make the acquaintance of one such as you, Snake-san," the girl said in her quiet, even voice.

"Just Snake," the man said with a curt nod "I heard you were the one to kill the Ninth Angel. It's a good thing you did it before the JSSDF nuked the city. Congratulations," Rei nodded, innerly surprised. Snake had done a very simple thing, which is congratulating her on a good job. And yet, that simple act of thankfulness was more than she had ever received from anyone, save Shinji after he met her. The girl got a strange feeling that she would be glad to have met this man later on. Something inside of her told her that she would be getting close to him, similar to the feeling she got the day she first saw Shinji.

"Snake will be acting as your bodyguard, as well as NERV's assistant when dealing with Big Boss and Outer Heaven's threat," Misato informed, addressing the children with a serious tone "You've got a real professional in these matters, so please do follow his indications," her words were met with three nods from the pilots.

"Right," Snake said, getting out a small, black box. He had recovered all his belongings once he agreed to join NERV "Since we are going to be working together, the first thing we'll need will be a secure way to talk with each other without anybody listening in."

Going through the small box, Snake got out some small items. They were little devices that looked a lot like small earphones, although they were wireless. Snake grabbed one and showed it to the others.

"This is a codec device," Snake explained, holding the little gizmo with his fingers "Only special forces use this kind of technology. It allows users to communicate with one another almost noiselessly. You have to put it on your ear and set the right frequency to call others, and that's that. No one else will be able to hear your talk," with that, Snake handed the small devices to the others. They all adjusted them in their ears - Shinji assisted Rei by holding her hair back, which caused the girl to blush slightly - and turned to look at Snake "Good," the man approved "Now we'll set up the frequencies. My frequency will be 141.80; Misato's will be 140.85; Shinji, yours will be 141.52, Asuka's will be 140.15 and Ayanami's will be 141.68. Make sure to remember those; we might be adding some other frequencies in the future, once some of my partners show up."

The others followed his indications and quickly saved all the frequencies in their codec's' memory. Asuka finished first and grinned to herself. This little gadget would prove to be very useful in the future, specially to keep touch with the First Child while watching that slut Kirishima.

"Hmm, Snake..." Shinji said, getting a look from Asuka and an encouraging nod from Snake "I always heard you were dead," Shinji said at last "All the news claimed that you died in 2007 when Ocelot sank that tanker... they said they even found your body. It was a positive match for you, too..." years had passed since 2007, and therefore many classified files had come to light. NERV's clearance was high enough to learn the truth - part of it at least - regarding the Tanker Incident. It had been deemed necessary for the pilots to be informed about the people they were going to work with, and hence all present were aware Snake hadn't been the one to sink the tanker.

"That was Liquid's body. We are identical on the genetic level," Snake explained, not quite pleased about that genetic trait he shared with his brother "Me and some partners stole his body from an organization... kind of a hassle though. But it was enough for everyone to think I was dead and let my organization operate alone."

"But the rumours never truly died," Misato said, recalling past news. Not only that, the intelligence community and the military started to believe Snake was still alive when several Metal Gears were destroyed in the following years, just like it had happened when Philanthropy was still fully operational. And the Big Shell incident pointed that someone had participated there, and that it was a veteran soldier of impressive fighting prowess. Still, even the most classified files only regarded him as 'Iroquois Pliskin,' although many saw that as an alias for Solid Snake, specially considering that Iroquois meant Rattlesnake "There were sightings of you a couple of times, and people that would say you were still alive. One of those times you were seen by the Second Child seven years ago."

Snake turned to Asuka, quite surprised at the information. He didn't recall having met her before, although maybe he hadn't paid any attention to her. Asuka nodded while her eyes shone with the memory.

"You saved me in 2008," Asuka said. Next to her, Shinji was surprised at her honesty. Asuka was never one to admit she needed help of any kind. This time, though, the redhead didn't seem to mind all that much. Shinji recalled the long time she had taken to prepare to meet Snake; maybe Asuka wanted to impress him? "During the incident in Berlin. I never got to thank you for that."

"You were present during the skirmish in Berlin?" Snake asked, surprised. He recalled the incident very well; a very bloody battle had taken place in Germany's capital, and he'd been right in the middle of it. Asuka nodded, and Snake racked his brains to try and remember her "Mmm, I think you're right. There was a little redheaded girl there... quite handy for her years. Was that you?" Asuka nodded again, beaming. She would never forget that day, and it was nice to know Snake hadn't forgotten it either. Suddenly, Snake smiled. The gesture brought a change to his face, making it look a lot warmer; Asuka's heartbeat rose instantly "I'm glad to have been there then... if I managed to do something for you. You look like a very strong girl."

A grand smile appeared on the redhead's face at his words, and she blushed slightly. She was used to be praised, but to hear it from such a legendary fighter - that actually lived up to the legend - was incredible. It was the kind of thing she wanted for piloting her EVA.

Misato smiled when she saw Asuka's happy face. Things had been looking grim for a very long time by now, but Snake fighting in their side could be what NERV needed to turn the tide at last. He was quickly bonding with the children, and his help would be priceless in the future. The Captain allowed herself to think that maybe they could get out of this whole mess in one piece, and meagre as that thought was, it still proved to be enough to fill her with hope.

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A loud noise in her ears told Rei Ayanami that her codec was ringing. The bluehead was walking home right now, after the meeting with Solid Snake finished and all the pilots were dismissed. Ikari had wanted to walk her home, but Doctor Akagi had kept him from doing so because it was time for his medical check-up. Rei didn't see the point in Ikari accompanying her to her residence, but somehow the idea had felt good deep down. It was a shame it hadn't been possible.

Rei lifted her right hand to her ear and answered the call.

"At last, Wondergirl," Pilot Soryu's annoyed voice came over "I was starting to think you were keeping me waiting on purpose just to annoy me."

"What is it that you want, Pilot Soryu?" Rei asked, not in the mood to tolerate the Second Child's antics. Then again, she never was in the mood for such foolishness.

"I've got an idea for how are we going to deal with that tramp Kirishima," Asuka said proudly "I don't want to bother Misato or Snake with this until we get some proof, so you and I are going to break in Kirishima's apartment this Saturday when she goes out with the Third. I'll get her address from Hikari, she'll think I just want to become Kirishima's friend."

Rei had to resist a strong urge to groan. Soryu would push her until she agreed, so there was no point in delaying the inevitable. She just felt she had made a big mistake when she decided to help her uncover classmate Kirishima.

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As soon as he got a moment alone, Snake placed his hand on his ear and called his Philanthropy partner through his codec.

"Otacon, it's me," Snake grunted. A gasp on the other side was the first response he got.

"Snake!" Otacon stuttered at last "I didn't know what to make of you! It's been more than ten days!"

"I know," Snake sighed, well aware of how much the situation had changed since he last spoke to his comrade "A lot has happened in between, too. Are you on the rendezvous point?"

"Well, yes, but I want to know what..." Otacon started, blowing a sigh of relief at the knowledge that his friend was alive and seemingly okay. He knew Snake was tough, but once he was captured by NERV there was no telling about how things could go, especially if they decided to execute him.

"I'll tell you later," Snake cut in, not wanting to prolong this conversation through the codec. The codec was quite safe, but not perfect. Someone could be listening in "For now, I need you to come back to Tokyo 3. Take as many security precautions as you can. The situation has gotten a lot more complicated. We may have to stay here for a while."

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Sitting in her office, Misato was going through some papers and security measures to implement when her cell phone rang and cut her from her work. Misato picked the phone up and saw that Maya was calling her.

"Maya?" the Captain asked "What is it?"

"Captain," the girl answered, her voice slightly weak "You should report to the Command Bridge. Something has happened."

"What is it?" Misato asked, already standing up. She fervently hoped it wasn't another Angel. The last one had attacked very recently, and she didn't want to strain the pilots that much. She could tell stress would quickly get to them should they be pushed too hard.

"There's... been an attack on our First and Second Branch in the United States," Maya said numbly, making Misato's mind go blank with shock "Units 03 and 04 have been stolen," Misato didn't have time to register her subordinate's words properly before she spoke again "And..." Maya's voice faltered and Misato realized the girl was shaking. The Captain steeled herself for some very bad news "Someone reported an eightfold murder on the eastern side of the city. It was in Makoto's building,"

Misato's heart stopped. The Captain hadn't wanted a relationship with the former techie, but that didn't mean she didn't care about him at all. The woman felt a pang of dread in her heart, and realized that something was very, very wrong. And that it was probably just starting.

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**Author Notes 2:**

Well, that's it for now. I'm glad this chapter is finally done, because I've been wanting to move on to the next one for a while. This chapter was originally intended to be very short, probably a second interlude, but it became bigger and bigger and in the end it turned out to be another whole chapter on its own.

The part where Misato meets Snake wasn't entirely done by me. I wrote a general script of the scene and wrote some parts of the dialogue, but being a male I was completely unprepared to write from Misato's point of view about what she thought of Snake, so I looked for a female cousin of mine that's familiar with Metal Gear and asked her about that. She ended up writing some parts of the scene herself. It was actually quite funny. She also helped me write some of Asuka's thoughts about him as well; in her words: 'It's impossible to be a straight girl and not have a bit of a crush in Snake.'

About the new FOXHOUND unit: even though we will see a bit of what happened there, I had to skip that part. It was just too much, too many things to handle at once. I had written a script for it, along with whom the members were and what happened with them, which survived and which didn't, and how they related to the events in Tokyo 3. But it became far too much for the story to handle, and it would have hindered the pace in the end.

Keel disappears from the story from now on, and won't be returning for a good while. The same goes for Acid Snake - which will be a Major antagonist later on - and the Patriots. For now, the story will focus on NERV and Outer Heaven, and the other parties will only start to affect things after several chapters had passed. But I felt it was necessary to write about them now, because it settles the mood for later on.

Many thanks for reading and remember to please leave a review. As usual, everything you say will be taken into account.

Devil Boss


	10. Choices

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own any of the characters from the Evangelion and Metal Gear Solid universes; they belong to Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, GAINAX Studios, Hideo Kojima, Shoji Shinkawa, Kojima Productions and Konami Studios.

**Author Notes:**

I'm here at last. Damn I try my hardest to update fast, and yet I never seem to accelerate at all. But this time it will be different. This chapter was already written when I had to add a few things and finally cut it in half, so as to not make a huge thing that would become a chore to read. That means the other half is already done, which in turn means that I'll update what comes next real fast. Now here all things rush to a close, so this chapter has many things in it. Please leave a comment about it when you finish reading, and thank you for passing by.

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**Chapter 8: Decisions**

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It was afternoon when Touji Suzuhara came back home. The day had been long, with the sensei droning about Second Impact as usual and the class representative nagging him about something he'd already forgot he had done. Of course, that hadn't kept her from giving him cleaning duty. Touji could swear she really had a thing for punishing him sometimes. Kensuke did a lot of things too, but she always picked him to get cleanup duty. But luckily that was over now. Touji walked the final steps, opened the door and got inside.

Throwing his bag carelessly, Touji went to the kitchen for a drink before going to the living room to rest and maybe watch some TV.

"Hello, Touji."

Touji's bottle fell to the floor. The young man turned around in surprise and found that a stranger was sitting on a couch in the room, calmly looking at him with clear, penetrating eyes. Or rather, eye. The man had an eyepatch in his right eye, which gave him a sad yet extremely serious look. But his presence was so intense that he seemed to fill the whole room even in his relaxed position; his features were strong yet not ugly, possessing a certain rough elegance to them.

The stranger stood up, tall and powerful. Touji took a hesitant step back, careful even though the man didn't seem threatening. The old man approached slowly, towering over him.

"Do you know who I am?" the old man asked.

Touji nodded, breathless. Big Boss. That man was Big Boss. Kensuke was the main responsible of Touji's knowledge of the man, as last year many files about the legendary fighter had been declassified and he'd told Touji everything about them. Even though the young Suzuhara wasn't a military fanatic, he had been quite impressed when Kensuke told him about Big Boss and his exploits.

He also knew about Big Boss because the man was the leader of Outer Heaven, a terrorist faction that was out to destroy NERV. Shinji had told him that in person.

"What do you want here?" Touji gasped with a shaky voice. He could only think he was about to be kidnapped and used to blackmail Shinji, since he was the boy's friend. Either that or he was going to be killed for some reason he didn't understand. The boy had to make an effort to keep from shivering. Big Boss was innerly pleased: Kirishima had chosen right.

This was a stressful situation, and yet this kid kept his composure even despite his justified fear. But now it was time to put the cards in the table.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Big Boss finally said, extending his hands as if to show he was unarmed and unwilling to fight "I wouldn't attack a civilian. You have nothing to fear from me."

"Why are you here?" Touji asked, still shocked.

"To make you an offer."

.

It was a while before Touji got to calm down and both men were able to have a talk. Big Boss had been honest and straightforward: he was looking for an Evangelion pilot, and Touji was the ideal candidate for the position. Big Boss had to use patience and sound reasoning to convince the boy that he actually was a pilot candidate, just like the rest of his classmates. 'The whole of your classroom is being purposefully controlled by NERV so that they can select the best pilot for their Evangelions,' Big Boss had said. Touji had been naturally outraged. But that rage had been nothing compared to what he felt when Big Boss told him the truth about his sister, and how NERV kept her injured on purpose. Big Boss' words were filled with a certain intensity that somehow convinced Touji the old man wasn't lying; it was an odd feeling, as if he were in the presence of the kind of people that wrote history with their every word. And then the time for the negotiations had come.

"Your sister," Big Boss was saying "Suffered a Spinal Burst Fracture. That kind of injury is severe, and some times impossible to repair. Or at least, used to be. With the new medical science, there are ways to fix the damage, even though many times the subject never gets to recover fully. That's what the hospital's been telling you, anyway. But it doesn't apply to us."

Big Boss stood up slowly and took off his long trench coat. He was wearing a military jacket underneath, which he also took off. Touji would have doubted his intentions had it not been for what Big Boss showed him next.

The man's body was full of scars. It was plain terrible to see. Big Boss was incredibly toned for his years, showing a physique that would put athletes to shame, but that it also showed the kind of life he had led since his teens. Every scar and mark showed the consequences of a life in the battlefield, fighting constantly against the world's greatest warriors. His ribs had large marks in them, almost resembling dents, as if they had been smashed by a tremendously strong foe. His torso was riddled with marks that showed that this man had been shot plenty of times in his life, and somehow survived to tell the tale. There were cuts in his upper chest and arms, memories of the many times he had been cut and stabbed.

"Look at me closely, Touji," Big Boss went on, turning around. His back was no better: cuts and bullet wounds, and large spots where his skin was deformed, showing that he had endured horrible burns as well "I have endured more injuries than you can imagine. I've been beaten to death, shot many times, stabbed, electrocuted and even burned alive. But I'm still here. And trust me, some of the men in my unit have endured far worse injuries than me," he wasn't bluffing: Gray Fox had nothing left of his original body save his head and spine; the rest was just machine; Ocelot had an artificial arm that worked even better than the original "Your sister's Spinal Burst Fracture can be healed in less than a month if we want to, with no side effects, no permanent damage. Not only that, we could make sure to strengthen her immune system, to help her deal with every other medical problems she could have in the future," he donned his jacket and thick coat as he turned around to face the young man "In short, she'll recover from all her injuries in weeks. That's a medical care NERV can't match. That's the science we've developed."

"And in turn you want me to..." Touji muttered slowly.

"Work for us," Big Boss nodded "Fight for us, that's what I'm asking you. But unlike those cowards at NERV, I never ask anything I'm not willing to do myself. If you fight for me, you can be sure that I and everyone in my command will fight for you so long as we draw breath."

Touji was one of many kids in the city who grew up alone. Ever since his parents died many years ago, he had lived with his uncle, although lived was far from the truth. The man worked for NERV, and he was never home. It was as if he wasn't there at all. Touji didn't mind that, actually. He liked to take care of himself and his sister. As for his uncle, it was as if the man was there just for the formalities. He didn't give a damn about them, and Touji knew it. The children were just a chore for him. In short, he wasn't the kind of man that should make this choice. Whether he liked it or not, Touji was the one to decide here.

But something weighted down on him with terrible force. He didn't mind making choices for himself, and taking the responsibility if things went wrong. But this time, whatever he chose would affect his sister, in such a profound way that it would probably change her life forever. Right now she was very little and didn't know any better, but she might hate him in the future for joining Big Boss and marking her as an outlaw as well. The boy's hands clenched harshly and his brow furrowed as he thought about this cruel choice he now had in front of him.

Big Boss' face showed a small grin for a second. He knew what Touji was thinking, and he liked the way the boy handled himself. He wasn't an idiot, accepting or refusing at the first shot, and he was clearly loyal to the people he cared for. He didn't want to make a rushed decision knowing it would affect his little sister.

"What you have to keep in mind," the old man finally said, drawing Touji out of his musings "Is that no matter what choice you make here, you and your sister are already compromised. You can say no to me here, but then NERV will use her for their purposes. Either way, her future is already complicated. I'm sorry for putting you in this position kid, but right now, Mika Suzuhara's future is in your hands," Touji turned to look to the floor, furious at his life for making him make such a hard choice "If you accept my proposal, then she will have a complex life, but a life of her own nonetheless. Free to follow her own desires. If you refuse, she won't be called an outlaw, but she will be used against you later on. Of that, you can be sure."

Touji believed him. He believed Big Boss' words because he had seen first hand how manipulative and underhanded NERV was. He couldn't believe it when Shinji told him in detail about his first sortie in Unit 01, he had seen how Misato had played on his and Asuka's egos when they were synch training by making other people watch them, and he could see how they guilt tripped him into doing their bidding as if they were somehow rightful people that had the capacity to determine what was right and wrong. Above all, he could see the complete disregard they held for his life and wellbeing. Misato was the only one that showed some humanity to the pilots, but that was of little use to Touji now.

But... Touji's mind raced over the thought of the alternative. Big Boss... he was a terrorist. Touji had learned about Big Boss' exploits thanks to Kensuke, and that didn't calm him. Many called the man a visionary, but then again many others called him a lunatic and madman. And Shinji had told them that he was out to increase his forces and declare war on many powers and countries.

"But you are terrorists," Touji finally said, having enough courage to say that even in a situation most people would deem dangerous, even considering Big Boss' seemingly peaceful intentions "Kensuke told me you try to create a world full of war no matter the cost. That you even stole nukes for that."

"We want to create a world where soldiers won't be forsaken," Big Boss answered gravely "Sooner or later you will become a pilot, Touji; it doesn't matter if it is for me or NERV. You will be a soldier, and the people in command only see soldiers as commodities, assets in war. Just tools with no will of their own. And if you don't believe me, just look at the way NERV treated you and your classmates: gathering you all up in a classroom, to study like guinea pigs. I seek to create a world where that will never happen again, where soldiers like me and you will never be bound to someone else's bidding. I seek... liberty. And yes, I'm willing to go to hell for that. But it's better to go down fighting than mindlessly obeying a coward's will. The person that I loved most obeyed orders her whole life, and it led her nowhere..." his remaining eye closed painfully, as he recalled that fateful moment in time, fifty years ago. A shot that rang in a flowered field, and a hero that died then. "We are called terrorists. But we are only what the times need us to be. You will come to understand in time, that those people calls enemies today will be called allies tomorrow. Politics, economics, religions and dogmas, they are all fickle. All we can have, is loyalty. To ourselves, to one another."

His words rang deep within the young man. For a moment, Big Boss' tone almost sounded fatherly, stirring a feeling Touji hadn't felt in a long time. It was strange, but nice as well. As if he were a kid again. And the old man was right in several ways too: the way he and his sister, and his classmates had been treated, it just wasn't fair. Someone should stand up and stop that.

"This city is a hell," Big Boss went on, looking to the side, bitterness in his tone and the light of the outside reflecting in his remaining eye "A hell where no one has any worth save what NERV deems necessary to keep control. You, your sister, your friends... all of you are nothing but pawns in other's game. All played like pieces in a chessboard. I'm offering you a way out. I'm offering you an Outer Heaven," Touji stood still, torn in silence. Big Boss knew the boy's resolve was already shifting to his side. It was time to end this "Fight for me, little soldier. You have a new life now, free from NERV, free from the system. Give that new life to me... and I will give it meaning in turn. I will give you freedom. Join me, and together we will see this madness end."

.

Unlike westerners, Japanese people didn't shake hands. A bow did the trick this time.

.

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.

Grim didn't manage to describe the scene Solid Snake was seeing now. Carnage probably fit better. Bystanders looked at the place with open mouths while the police and several First Class Detectives tried to make some sense of the whole thing. Eight men were killed in an apartment complex, all of them having been taken by surprise. And yet, the man that was clearly the key to all this was missing. Makoto Hyouga was nowhere to be found, even though eight assassins had died pretty much in his own home.

Shortly after watching footage of Units 03 and 04's theft - Vamp and a new freak named Screaming Mantis had destroyed a newly formed FOXHOUND Unit there as well -, Misato had asked Snake to check the eightfold murder on one of her former colleagues' - a technician named Makoto Hyouga - home. While crime existed everywhere, you just didn't have a killing spree like this in the middle of a city as fortified as Tokyo 3, and on the apartment of a former NERV member no less. Something fishy was going on, and since Misato was too busy dealing with the chaos that had engulfed NERV since the two Evangelion Units' theft, the woman had asked him to do it himself. And Snake was damn glad for that, because even though the thought wasn't pleasant at all, he could actually draw a clear conclusion out of the ordeal.

Eight men. Eight men killed. Eight men killed, all in silence and by surprise. None of them saw it coming. None of them had the chance to defend themselves. Five of them killed in close quarters, two with their necks snapped and three with their throats slit. The remaining three killed with a suppressed gun. A Makarov, which Snake sadly recognized. And he also recognized the cuts in the slit throats of three of the unfortunate attackers. Those cuts had been made by a CQC knife.

Above all, the most telling thing was that this work had been done exactly - move by move - the way Snake himself would have done it. And there was only one man that was his match in these matters, and that had actually been one of his mentors. That particular man liked to use a Makarov pistol, was silent as a ghost and was undoubtedly the world's greatest expert in CQC.

Snake got the picture. He used his codec to call for Misato, and to arrange a meeting with NERV's command as soon as possible. Big Boss was in the city.

.

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.

Lunch break was something the students of Tokyo 3's school looked forward to. For once, it was a break of the ever boring classes - which was especially true if you happened to be a student of Class 2A and its Second Impact fanatic teacher - and it also represented the chance to talk and hang around as well as eat. All in all, the best part of any school day.

Touji Suzuhara believed this with all his heart. This was the reason for Shinji and Kensuke's concern today, as they saw the boy walk with them with that same crestfallen look he'd had all day. Even Hikari had noticed how depressed he seemed today. The trio went to their usual spot on the roof in silence, with Kensuke and Shinji exchanging worried glances.

"Shinji, may I speak to you for a second?" Touji broke his self imposed silence for the first time, startling the other two. The jock didn't seem to notice that; his eyes had a lost look, even as he waited for the young Ikari to respond.

"Sure," Shinji said, and the two walked away slowly. Touji kept a straight face all the way, but his eyes were filled with sorrow.

"What is it, Touji?" Shinji finally asked, worried about his friend's silence. Normally the jock was quite outspoken: he just didn't let things get to him. His sister was a sore subject for him, but Shinji didn't think that was it, right? She was stable so far, even though it seemed it would be hard to find a way to help her recover anytime soon. Shinji hoped it wasn't that something happened to her; he was responsible for her injuries no matter what other people said, and he would never forgive himself if she died for them.

"I..." Touji stuttered, trying to get a hold of himself. He clenched his fists and made an effort to clear his thoughts "I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. For the way I treated you when you came into the city."

"But..." Shinji mused, baffled. Haven't he and the jock already made peace about that? "You apologized already, remember? You even let me punch you and all..."

"Yeah, but I never tried to understand you," Touji struggled to say, wishing he was resourceful with words like Hikari; now more than ever he wanted to make himself understood "I never tried to put myself in your shoes. I never did... and I don't want to carry that in my conscience anymore," his voice started to become strained, the words ringing with pain "I want to be able to say that we're friends despite my early actions. So... I'm sorry," his hands started to shake violently and it seemed that his knees were ready to crumble; Shinji hadn't felt this sad for someone else since he first saw Ayanami the first night he came to the city "I'm... I'm so sorry," Touji finally spluttered "I didn't know anything about how you felt when you came here, and I hit you like I knew everything. I didn't know anything, and I acted like an idiot with you," and now his voice became deeper and louder, as if passion were filling him from the inside "And I'd want you to forgive me so that I won't have to carry that burden with me anymore! I'd want to leave that behind us once and for all..."

"H-Hey, Touji..." Shinji began, hesitating; people skills wasn't exactly his strong suit, but he knew somehow what he had to say now... the truth "I never held the way you acted against you. I never felt you were to blame for anything. But if it hurts you so much, then I forgive you, you know. I don't want you to think of that every time you see me, just as you said I shouldn't blame myself for your sister's injuries. I just want to let go of the past, and move on..."

"I... yes, you're right," Touji agreed, smiling softly. Deep down, he knew Shinji would forgive him instantly. The boy was too nice for his own good. But now it was time to put some things to rest, to have closure and to say what mattered most "Shinji, you're my friend, all right?" he finally said, looking to the floor, his voice steady, yet sad "And I want you to know that no matter what happens I'll still consider you my friend. At least from my part."

And with that the jock departed, leaving a baffled and concerned Shinji behind, standing with a sad frown on his face.

.

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.

Misato snapped into a salute when Sub Commander Kozou Fuyutsuki finished adjusting her new rank insignia. The small badge now showed two stripes, denoting her new rank as Major. Around her, Ritsuko, Maya, Aoba, Campbell and Snake smiled and congratulated her. Fuyutsuki gave a short, kind nod and Misato Katsuragi officially became NERV's third in command.

"Your actions in the past months have been nothing short of commendable," Campbell was saying "You've earned this position, Major. Congratulations."

Misato bowed to him, well aware he had been the one to recommend her. Misato was grateful for that, but in the end her position wasn't all that important to her. Her true goal was to defeat the Angels, and lately to stop war and chaos from happening due to the EVAs. The rest wasn't quite meaningful in comparison.

"Good work, Major," Snake grinned slightly; it was that same small smile he showed when they first met and it still had the same effect on her.

"You never got to the rank of Major, right Snake?" Aoba asked curiously.

"No," Snake said, shaking his head absently "I never wanted to make a career in the military in the first place. I was captain of a Green Berets unit before I joined FOXHOUND. After Big Boss' betrayal, I left the military altogether."

"And you dedicated yourself to destroy all the Metal Gears throughout the world," Maya added softly with a glint in her eyes; Snake gave her a small grin and the girl blushed.

"Now that we are all here, I'd like to make a request," Misato said, her voice grave "Solid Snake reported earlier his belief that Big Boss himself is in the city. We both agreed that the Pilots' security is severely lacking, especially that of the First Child," Fuyutsuki nodded in agreement, urging her to continue. A wide and yet very secret manhunt was already going on in the city, but Snake had said that it would be completely pointless to try and find the old man if he didn't want to be found. Misato cleared her throat and went on "Considering the difficult circumstances we are going through, leaving the First Child in such dire conditions is very unpractical, not to mention dangerous for her safety. I request the First Child be transferred to my apartment complex, where she will be close to the other pilots and will benefit from Snake's protection as well."

Fuyutsuki and Ritsuko exchanged a look. Rei Ayanami wasn't supposed to bond with people during these months, or else she may become a liability to the scenario. Ritsuko didn't care about that, but she innerly hated the girl and didn't want her to lead the happy life she couldn't have. And Fuyutsuki knew that he had to play along with Gendo's desires, or else he would be the one to die. But the Commander wasn't here right now, and the situation had changed. Right now, Gendo was meeting with Japan's Prime Minister, trying to get as much support as he could now that SEELE was out of the picture. And in the end, Katsuragi's concern was totally justified too.

"Sir, twice have Outer Heaven's operatives broken in the Geo Front so far," Misato went on, pressing the advantage at the sight of the dubious Sub Commander "We know Big Boss' forces are more than capable of infiltrating the city, despite all our security measures. Leaving Pilot Ayanami isolated in her current apartment is nothing short of giving her to our enemies!"

Fuyutsuki mused about that. He knew Katsuragi was simply right: leaving the First Child in such conditions was asking for Big Boss to abduct her. And even though her making bonds with people was bad for the scenario, she being kidnapped by NERV's greatest foe was far worse. And since Gendo was away, the decision fell onto him, and Fuyutsuki knew he wouldn't be as cold and indifferent as the Commander.

"Very well," the Sub Commander relented at last "Pilot Ayanami's living quarters will be arranged within your building, Major Katsuragi. She will be placed under yours and Solid Snake's watch from now on, and you will make sure she is protected against Big Boss' threat in the future."

Misato saluted again while Snake gave a curt nod. He had nothing against the First Child, but this only meant another kid to babysit. Damn. He wished Otacon arrived soon to make things a little easier with this.

.

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.

Snake and Shinji were carrying several boxes while Asuka guided them, which basically meant ordered them around. Right now, the man was moving in just next to Misato's apartment. The idea made Asuka beam with joy. Shinji was glad for that too, knowing that at least Misato wouldn't have to keep fighting Outer Heaven's enemies alone anymore. Snake didn't mind having a babe like Misato living next door, although he hoped the young pilots wouldn't be much of a bother. So far, Shinji had shown himself shy and polite - a bit too shy and polite - Asuka had been pleasant even though she clearly couldn't stay still for long and Ayanami... well, that girl was creepy. Snake wondered if she had some sort of trauma that made her the way she was. He would ask Misato about it later on.

Snake had stored his guns first. Asuka had asked him to see them, enjoying the sight quite a bit. She had some small firearms training, which Snake would probably widen in the future, and she took to analyze his SOCOM, USP and M9 pistols with fascination. Shinji had been more interested in the PSG-1, Snake's sniper rifle which reminded him of the one he'd had to use during the battle against the Fifth Angel. Once the guns were safely stored - Snake always kept a handgun with him, but he said nothing about it - he and Shinji unpacked the rest of the things, until they stumbled upon several computers NERV had given Snake for Otacon to use, once he came to the city. Installing them had been easy enough, but Snake started to hesitate when he had to set up a connection to the MAGI as instructed by Ritsuko.

"I can work on a connection to the MAGI from here," Asuka finally said after watching him stare at the screens for several minutes with a puzzled face "I'm sure your partner Otacon will improve it later on, but at least I can save him some time."

"You could do that?" Snake asked, raising his eyebrows. Computers weren't his thing, and for him setting up a connection to the most advanced one ever was way out of his league.

"Of course!" Asuka claimed with her usual confidence. Shinji smiled softly: Asuka's confidence could very well be called arrogance by some "I have a degree in Engineering, you know! I graduated last year."

"I read the files," Snake said softly "You graduated December last year. Quite impressive for a thirteen year old girl."

"Ooh, I'm much more than a girl," Asuka boasted proudly. It was nice to be complimented by Snake; it reminded her of the feeling she got when Shinji or Kaji congratulated her.

"What were you doing when you were a teenager, Snake?" Shinji asked suddenly. Snake turned to look at him and the boy felt slightly disturbed; there was an almost disapproving look in the mercenary's eyes. But soon Snake's look softened, putting Shinji at ease again.

"I was raised by many people," Snake finally said. Personal questions weren't asked between soldiers and mercenaries, but this was a civilian he was talking to "And I was heavily trained by many military instructors when I was your age. I had my first missions at thirteen, always going with some of my teachers." Shinji took this in silence, surprised at how sad Snake's childhood sounded. It must have been lonely to grow up in military institutes and learning to fight at such a tender age. Asuka was silent too, although for different reasons. Snake's childhood sounded surprisingly similar to her own; both seemed to have been bred and shaped into weapons since they were small kids.

"And Big Boss was amongst your teachers, right?" Asuka finally asked. She had learned some things from famous strategists and other important people during her training as an EVA pilot, but to have Big Boss as a teacher... that was something she would have loved.

"Not really," Snake contradicted her, shaking his head "I only saw him once or twice during my early years. I truly met him when I joined FOXHOUND at twenty-two years old."

"Oh, that's right," Asuka said, recalling the files she had read during training "So you never took part in the operations he led before you joined FOXHOUND, right? Like Operation Knightfall, or Pegasus, or Bringer."

"I only took part in Operation Intrude N013," Snake said, surprised at the girl's knowledge of FOXHOUND's past operations "My first and last mission under Big Boss' command."

"How do you know so much about Big Boss' activities, Asuka?" Shinji asked when his curiosity got the better of him "I thought everything about him was considered top secret by the United States' Government."

"Because the CIA declassified many files regarding Big Boss last year, and now he's the stuff of legends even among civilians," Asuka said, poking Shinji's forehead "Many people see him as a hero rather than a terrorist."

Snake shook his head with a slightly bitter face; he was tired of the hero worship Big Boss got lately.

"People tend to believe what they want to believe. They won't see the truth for what it is, going for what they like instead," his eyes became absent: he had been target of that particular trait in people for years; after Shadow Moses they thought him a hero, and then a terrorist for what he'd 'done' in the Tanker Incident in 2007 "The less people know about the truth, the more they can fantasize," he grunted; the media always played a part in this "Big Boss wasn't the hero everyone thinks he is nowadays. He would be the first to recognize it; in the end, he went mad with power. And right now, he seeks to get the Evangelions on his side to refit the balance of power in the whole world and create a paradise for soldiers, where they are needed in every war worldwide. He's no hero. He's another man with a gun."

.

Snake and Shinji kept unpacking for some time. Asuka had taken to sit on the couch and watch TV while the two males busied themselves bringing stuff in and setting things up. A lady like her shouldn't have to do any hard work after all, it was unbecoming. She commandeered Shinji into getting her a drink and set the TV on the news channel. It was a habit she had picked up in the past weeks, as a mean to keep herself informed about the turbulent international picture.

"Earlier this week, the corrupt US Senator John Parker was found dead at his penthouse in New York," a woman was saying while the image of an old man appeared on the screen "After a thorough investigation, the NYPD reached the conclusion that the Senator was murdered by groups of insurgents against PMC activity. This is disturbingly related to the assassinations of other influential people all over the world in the past days, that are increasingly sending the international community into disarray as..." standing behind Asuka, Snake snorted and shook his head absently.

"What is it?" the redhead asked.

"It wasn't insurgents that killed that guy," Snake said, a smirk appearing on his face "It was the Patriots. Otacon and I made some research on that Senator and found out he was a member of SEELE: we couldn't tell how important. But now that Big Boss eliminated the council, the Patriots are out to kill them all. And of course, the media won't say a word of who the true responsible of the murders are."

Snake shook his head absently and made his way to the kitchen, bent on setting things up and be done with it; as he walked, he couldn't help but think of what he had just seen. The world didn't know it, but as of now there was a raging secret war going on. After Big Boss and Outer Heaven had destroyed SEELE, all the remaining factions were trying their hardest to fill the old men's position. Of course, the only true recipients of this new change were The Patriots - that now were rid of their biggest competitor and were free to rule the entire world and not just the Western countries - and Outer Heaven, which was masterfully taking advantage of the mayhem in the intelligence and military communities to extend its influence throughout the whole world.

"So, the Patriots are behind everything we see?" Asuka asked lowly, standing behind him. Turning around, Snake saw that the girl's posture was a subdued one. Almost emotionless.

"Not only that," he answered at last "They plan to control human will and consciousness through the total control of information. That way, they can produce whatever kind of people that fits them best. Life controlled through memes... what better way to create the ultimate tyranny?"

.

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.

It was a bright and beautiful morning when Shinji decided to leave. It was Saturday, and he had promised to visit Lake Ashino with Mana. He would meet her at twelve o'clock at one of the boulevards that led there, and then they'd walk together. But since today was a nice day, and Shinji felt in good spirits, he decided to leave a little early and do some things with his time. He had to buy new batteries for his SDAT as well as a few other things, too, so he might as well use the morning for that.

"Leaving already?" Asuka asked when he got into the kitchen. Shinji was startled: the redhead usually slept in when they had free time.

"Well, yeah," Shinji said, trying to ignore the derogative look Asuka was giving him. He noticed she was eating some cereal, which was odd since she always ordered him to prepare something for her when she was hungry.

"Hmph. Try not to screw your date up, idiot," the redhead said, standing up. Shinji took a moment to properly understand her words. He became confused.

"Date? It's not a d..." Asuka raised an eyebrow and Shinji started to feel nervous when he realized that what he would do with Mana was indeed a date.

"Just get out of here, Third" Asuka sighed at his ineptitude. Boys were so stupid sometimes. Asuka pushed a still uncertain Shinji out of the apartment and closed the door. She placed a finger in her right ear as soon as she heard the boy walk away.

"Pilot Soryu," Rei's voice came through the codec in greeting.

"Wondergirl," Asuka said in turn "Shinji's left already. He'll be meeting Kirishima in Aoshi Boulevard so she'll have to walk there as well. Her apartment must be empty as of now."

"I see," the stoic First Child said, feeling completely idiotic for what they were doing. She had never felt such a thing before, and she didn't like it. Still, should this prove to be helpful to Ikari then it would have been worth it "Then I suggest we move there as soon as possible, if we are to investigate her true motives."

"I for once agree with you," Asuka mumbled as both girls readied for their self appointed task.

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"Kaji," Big Boss greeted the man.

"Boss."

"Have you done it?"

"Hook, line and sinker."

Both men were in an old warehouse in the outskirts of Tokyo 3, near Lake Ashino. They had set this place up a few days ago, readying it as their final extraction point once their task in Tokyo 3 was finished. As of now, Outer Heaven's spies had managed to take Makoto Hyouga and Touji Suzuhara to a safe place, and Mana Kirishima had helped in the mission to rescue Suzuhara's little sister. Not wanting anything to go wrong, Big Boss had led the operation himself. Now that it was done, the escape route was the last thing to be planned. Three VTOLs and a Hind D would fly to the old warehouse to pick everyone up. That also included Shinji Ikari, should Kirishima succeed in her mission. But of course, that plan had one fatal flaw, namely the fact that NERV kept a tight control on Tokyo 3's airspace. Big Boss had to work hard to bypass that, but he had succeeded. He was an expert in Cold War tactics after all.

Big Boss had let Kaji deal with the other detail, namely communications. While the old man busied himself getting Suzuhara's sister out of the hospital without hurting her or alerting NERV, Kaji had to make sure he could jam Tokyo 3's communications as best as he could. Even though there were several ways to disable the Internet if you had money and the right resources, doing so in a city controlled by the MAGI was next to impossible without making an all over attack. But that system had a flaw, namely centralisation. The MAGI controlled everything, which allowed Kaji to easily track down the central communication systems within the city since they all belonged to NERV. In this case, the spy had managed to put a jamming device in one of the less powerful ones.

"All cell phones will be useless half an hour from now," Kaji explained, getting an approving look from Big Boss. Even though cell phones were fairly basic technology, NERV relied on them quite heavily. Dealing a blow to that part of the communication system would create a small mess, good enough for Outer Heaven's operatives to create an opening and leave quickly before NERV had time to react "The effects will last for one hour or as long as it takes them to fix the problem," Big Boss was clearly satisfied by this result, staring off into the distance. Tokyo 3 lay in front of them, beautiful. The old man prided himself knowing that sooner of later the city would fall in his hands. Kaji didn't share his calmness "Boss, that's all I could do in such short notice. You sure it will be enough? I'm positive the higher ups have many other ways to contact with one another."

"It doesn't matter," Big Boss snorted "This flaw in their defense is good enough for us. It will suffice to confuse them while we make our move. As you know, many great battles have been won due to the small details. Gendo Ikari will learn that the hard way."

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Rei was already there when Asuka got to Mana's street. The redhead gave her a curt nod which the girl didn't return - Asuka had to suppress an urge to smack her to see if she would react to something - and both girls made their way to Mana's home. Hikari had given Mana's address to Asuka, believing the German simply wanted to be friendly with the girl. It seemed that Mana lived in a small, three-story apartment complex. Asuka and Rei got inside and went for her apartment, located in the ground floor.

"She must have gone to meet Shinji already, but we better knock anyway," Asuka muttered, ringing the doorbell. Both girls stood silent for a while, waiting for a response. Nothing came from inside. Asuka finally got tired and opened the door. The redhead wanted to smack herself at how easy things were in Japan. True, Misato had said that the Japanese held other's privacy in very high esteem and such, but to leave doors unlocked like that... this kind of thing would never happen in Germany.

"Nobody home..." Asuka mused, pleased with herself.

"We should investigate about Kirishima's intentions and leave," Rei said, not liking the situation one bit. She wanted to act fast and be done with this quickly. But she was willing to do this for her fellow male pilot "I suggest we start in her bedroom."

Asuka agreed and both girls walked silently through the place, passing the kitchen and the living room. Mana's home was austere, but cosy too. The girl seemed tidy, a trait she shared with Shinji, Asuka thought. But the thought of her male fellow pilot made her innerly angry; she always tried to make him stronger, to make him stand up for himself, and the idiot simply cowered in fear, as if she was going to hit him... and then he went and followed Kirishima like any other hormone ridden male. It was pathetic.

Rei opened the door to Mana's bedroom and got in quickly with Asuka in tow. Both girls started to check for anything that seemed suspicious. Asuka busied herself trying to open the drawers of a small nightstand - it was locked, something that made her even more suspicious - while Rei checked some papers on a small desk. The blueheaded girl gasped in surprise.

"What is it?" Asuka asked, turning around. Rei handed her a paper she'd found and Asuka eyed it carefully. Soon she gasped too "What the hell?" the German grunted, her eyes darkening. She was holding a paper with a fake ID for Mana on the top; namely, it gave her the background she used during her time in school "I knew it!" Asuka said, both furious and pleased with her accurate instincts "I knew it! That bitch is a damned spy!"

"We need to investigate further if we are to learn of her true purposes," Rei said seriously, not feeling stupid anymore. Soryu had turned out to be right, and now this matter had her full attention.

"Right," Asuka said breathlessly, still shocked "You check the closet, Ayanami."

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Mana walked through the streets with a small smile on her face. Things had gone well, very well. Big Boss had managed to get Mika Suzuhara out of the hospital with Mana's intelligence on the place, and all without her direct intervention, which meant she still was completely innocent of any charge. All in all, excellent.

Now was the time for her most important task to be done. She had managed to get a date with Shinji in the afternoon, where they would go to visit Lake Ashino and have a small picnic. That was what Shinji thought at least. In reality, she'd take him to Big Boss, and then the old man would take him under his wing and turn him over to Outer Heaven's side. Mana didn't like lying to Shinji this way - the boy had somehow grown on her; he was such a sweet person that deceiving him felt completely wrong - but on the other side she was sure this was for the best. It wasn't that she was going to kill him; hell, she would be giving him freedom, from his father and the cowards that used him for their own selfish purposes.

She was nearing her apartment. Now it was time to change into a nice dress and equip a small gun - just in case something happened and she had to defend herself - and go to the place Shinji and her had decided to meet on. A faint blush made it to her cheeks as she thought that maybe, just maybe, Shinji would be thankful for what she'd done for him later on, and she would be able to relate with him freely, uncaring of any mission or façades. However, something started to nag at her.

Mana was trained to listen to her instincts. And right now, as she approached her front door, her instincts told her to watch out, because something felt out of place. Mana had some security measures placed on her door and all entrances to her apartment; not loud things like alarms, but simple wires and small specks of dust placed conveniently to let her know someone had opened the door while she was out. After all, Mana was a spy and that meant that it was more important to know who had broken in her home and why instead of calling the police.

But now, the young girl felt like cursing. She blamed herself for her stupidity: she wasn't carrying a gun with her. All her items and weapons were inside, stored in her room. Which meant that should there be someone still inside, she would be unarmed. Dammit.

Well then, so be it. The intruder had entered through the front door. That spoke of an untrained person, someone who lacked professionalism. The intruder hadn't even bothered to mask the signs and trails of its entrance, possibly unaware of Mana's security measures. Mana had the upper hand against such a foolish person.

The spy opened the door in complete silence. She walked quietly through the living room, hiding carefully and avoiding open areas. Rolling to her right without making any noise, she went to the kitchen and grabbed a large knife that would be useful should it come to CQC. Voices caught her ears and she crouched, hiding as best as she could given the dire circumstances. She could hear two persons talking in her room. That wasn't good; she kept all her secrets in there. Mana moved carefully towards her room, listening carefully. She could hear...

"You check the closet, Ayanami," a female voice said with a German accent. Mana identified it quickly.

Soryu? And Ayanami...

What the hell? Those two... Mana had seen their displeasure when she spoke with Shinji, especially in Soryu's case... but to think that they'd break in and rummage through her things...

She would wait to hear what they knew. And if they knew too much, then she'd take them out like she should have done before.

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"Mein Gott," Asuka gasped when Ayanami got a garment out of Mana's wardrobe. The redhead moved closer to take a better look at it, while Ayanami dropped it over the bed in silence. Asuka's hands tightened. It was a strange rubberish suit with a back zipper that somehow resembled a wetsuit. But Asuka knew this was no wetsuit; the protection pads on the elbows and knees, the reinforced fabric on the chest, the strategically placed seams to allow maximum freedom of movement... this was a Sneaking Suit, just like the ones Secret Special Forces operatives wore on missions. This discovery was quite disturbing.

"That slut..." Asuka muttered while her hands trembled in rage.

"This is the outfit of a highly trained spy," Rei concluded, her brow furrowed in concentration. The suit reminded her of her own plugsuit "I believe Kirishima must keep other items in this place, too."

"Guns for sure," Asuka agreed, her voice hoarse with rage. She blamed herself for allowing such a vulture to approach Shinji; never again would she make such an idiotic mistake "I'm sure that little bitch never thought someone would suspect and break in her apartment."

"Actually, I did," a voice said behind her, from the room's door, startling them both. Mana's voice. Both NERV girls knew it was time to fight for their lives.

Asuka spun and attacked first. Her blind charge, she knew, could very well be the difference between living and dying. She was quite sure Mana had a gun in her hands, but if she attacked fast she might get the girl to hesitate for one second, giving Asuka the edge to overpower and disarm her. And if she did, she was sure both she and Ayanami could handle Kirishima in a fight.

Mana was prepared for Asuka. As soon as the girl entered her reach, she quickly used a Jujitsu move and sent her sprawling to the floor. But in the end, Asuka's strategy had been correct: Mana had the time to dispose of her, but not Ayanami. The young spy was the victim of a swift wristlock and her knife was immediately lost, flying to the floor several feet away. Rei's face only showed pure, steely resolve. Mana used her free hand to smack the girl, and Rei was forced to let her go to avoid getting hit. The spy threw a fast punch-punch-kick combination, which the bluehead dodged and parried with disciplined moves. Mana had to hand it to her, she was good. Probably trained in Aikido to some extent.

Rei grabbed Mana's left hand and put her in yet another armlock. Mana's torso was twisted painfully as the girl was forced to bend sideways to avoid getting her wrist snapped. Realizing this was a very compromising position, especially considering that Asuka was already getting up, Mana did a desperate leap that closely resembled a butterfly kick to straighten her body, landing on the floor again and managing to get her arm into a correct position. Not giving Rei any time to react, she quickly kicked her in the ribs and punched her in the face, sending the girl stumbling backwards with the blows.

A punishing kick on her back made her well aware of Asuka's strength. Mana turned around just in time to parry two side kicks as well as a more powerful axe kick. It was clear Asuka was very good too, but in such a small room her movements were awkward and didn't carry all her strength behind them.

"Tae Kwon Do?" Mana smirked, recognizing Asuka's style and mocking the redhead "Not very good on closed spaces."

Asuka knew her enemy was right. Her training as an Evangelion pilot was focused on whatever brought results in the battlefield when she was piloting, not close quarters fighting against human foes. Considering that, movements like armlocks and punches weren't given that much attention, going for kicks instead, which had more reach and power behind them. Her training in Tae Kwon Do made her a good fighter in one on one matches in open areas, and even in the handling of tools like spears and such, but an awkward one in this kind of situation. Kicking was not a good idea if your opponent could block it with ease and get in your personal space. Aware of her disadvantage, Asuka threw a right hook at Mana's face.

Mana smirked as she easily parried and grabbed Asuka's arm. Unlike the German, she wasn't trained in just one style. Mana had taken intensive training in many hand to hand disciplines, including CQC in the past months, taught by Ocelot and Big Boss himself. CQC was made to end fights swiftly, whether by subduing or killing an enemy; to that end, the system incorporated moves from Jujitsu, Krav Maga, Judo, Eskrima and Karate among others. Mana twisted Asuka's arm and slammed her against her room's wall, letting go of her just to punch her harder. Asuka's mouth started to leak blood.

Mana's arm was suddenly twisted behind her back and the girl realized Rei Ayanami was back in the fight. The girl didn't show anything save her cold face, but Mana saw past it and understood that both EVA pilots were fighting desperately, well aware their lives were at stake here. Using her free arm, Mana elbowed Ayanami in the face. Asuka recovered and punched Mana in her gut, but a swift front kick caught her in the stomach, making her gasp in pain. Releasing her captive arm, Mana spun counter clockwise, grabbing Ayanami's left arm and bending the joints almost to the breaking point. Mana twisted further and Rei was forced forward in order to avoid getting her arm snapped. The bluehead was smashed against Asuka, both girls crashing with tremendous force. Mana hit the back of Rei's head and smirked in satisfaction when she saw that the First Child had been knocked out cold.

Dazed, Asuka didn't have time to parry Mana's furious kick on her chest. The redhead stumbled and fell backwards, landing on Mana's bed. But she still wasn't out of the fight. Mana was impressed at her strong will; by now, anyone else should have passed out. And yet, Asuka kept on fighting, showing a steely determination Mana had seen in very few people before.

Grunting, Mana approached the fallen girl to end the fight. Asuka recovered quickly and threw a heavy book at her face, diverting her attention long enough to throw a high roundhouse kick fast enough to catch Mana by surprise and hit her in the cheek. Her mouth filled with the bitter taste of blood, the girl was dazed for a moment, which Asuka employed in grabbing her hair and slamming her head to the wall. Asuka tried to smash her again, but Mana quickly got off of the hold and grabbed Asuka's left wrist and the back of her head with an iron grip. Moving with the ease that only came with strict training and experience in the matter, Mana kneed Asuka in the face and, letting go of her, kicked her in the stomach with all her might. Asuka grunted in pain and fell to her knees, panting. The German girl was dumbfounded; she hadn't thought that Kirishima would be that well trained. Mana kicked her again and Asuka fell to the ground, clutching her abdomen.

One last punch was all Mana needed to knock her out as well.

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Mana stood above her fallen enemies. Dammit. Dammit it all. How could she have been so stupid? She should have known better than leave her apartment so unguarded. She should have known better than leaving her gear where any intruder could find it. And now she was paying the price. The girl felt like cursing out loud. Her cover had been blown. She was pretty sure both EVA pilots hadn't told anyone what they were doing - had they done so then it would have been Section 2 searching her apartment and not them - but she couldn't risk the chance that no one knew about this. It was too risky to assume that this would end here. In short, she was screwed. She no longer had any use as a sleeper agent.

This led to the matter at hand. What to do now? Mana had already accomplished a lot in her short stay in Tokyo 3 - she had pointed out Suzuhara's value as a pilot, and helped rescue his sister too, not to mention good intelligence on the pilots and their behaviour - but she could still do a couple of things before her now inevitable departure.

First things first. What to do with the girls she had bested? They were Evangelion pilots. And good fighters too. But, unlike Shinji, they were loyal to NERV. The young Ikari had been manipulated and forced into service, but these girls had been raised by the organization and wouldn't abandon it so easily. Which made them Outer Heaven's enemies, and very dangerous enemies to boot. They piloted Evangelion Units, for Pete's sake. The power those units had rivalled entire armies.

She should kill them. This was a golden opportunity. Both girls were unconscious, completely defenseless now. Mana should kill them both and take Ikari to Big Boss, leaving NERV completely defenseless. Christ, should she do that, the war would be over instantly. NERV would collapse for its failures, and there would be no one to fill in the gap. Big Boss would win.

But if she did so... if she killed them, then the Angels would attack unhindered. Big Boss already had Units 03 and 04 in his hands, and a pilot as well, two if she counted Suzuhara, and three if she counted Ikari. But the old man wasn't prepared to deal with the Angels yet; he still didn't have the necessary infrastructure to support the Evangelions in combat against the Angels. Should she kill two of NERV's pilots, and help the last one defect, Tokyo 3 and possibly everyone else would be defenseless. Big Boss may be able to fight the remaining Angels, but he very well might not be ready for them. This was a cruel dilemma, a way to bet on what would happen should she choose one path or the other.

It was a fleeting instant, a moment in which everything around her froze, that Mana Kirishima realized she literally had the fate of the world in her hands. A girl that not long ago was little else than the JSSDF's slave was now in position to change the world as it was, and mankind with it.

Mana's hands clenched and unclenched, as the girl stood undecided about what choice to make. Around her, the air was still, as if waiting for the young girl to choose. Whatever she did, her actions would open a new path, and nothing would be the same from here. Mere seconds seemed to stretch into hours.

Mana slowly went to a nightstand next to her bed and opened the lowest drawer with a key she carried in one of her pockets. Inside were her guns, a tranquilizer Beretta M9 and a powerful HK45 pistol that was deadly in her hands. Loading both guns, Mana equipped her CQC knife as well and concealed all the weapons as best as she could. She thought about donning her Sneaking Suit too, but that was not a good idea in the middle of the day. A jacket would work to hide all the guns from sight.

The girl walked up over her two fallen foes. She raised her HK45, pointing it at Soryu's head, and her hands trembled from all the anxiety and stress. She wished Big Boss were here, ready to give her some advice, some solace and security. But the old man was in the outskirts of the city, making the final preparations for his departure, and she was on her own. And so she had to trust her own judgement.

Mana lowered the gun and sheathed it again. And then, she walked out of the room, well aware she wouldn't be coming back. She had to get to Shinji soon, and take him to Big Boss immediately. After that, she would never set foot on Tokyo 3 again.

Walking into a deserted parking lot, Mana hijacked a car - another useful skill the JSSDF taught its spies - and rushed to meet Shinji. She'd dump the car a few streets away from him in order to remain untraceable. NERV would never suspect a thing.

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**Author Notes 2:**

Alright people, so this chapter ends. My first cliff-hanger, I believe this is. But don't worry; there won't be a long time before I post again. Probably within the next week. Please leave me a review telling me what you think of the fight scene between the girls: it will help me a lot to improve in the future. So stay tuned, because part two is coming and I assure you it will become far more violent than this one!

Devil Boss


	11. Quickening

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own any of the characters from the Evangelion and Metal Gear Solid universes; they belong to Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, GAINAX Studios, Hideo Kojima, Shoji Shinkawa, Kojima Productions and Konami Studios.

**Author Notes:**

And here comes the continuation from the last chapter. Everything seems to be going smoothly for Big Boss so far, but things take a wild turn here. Many parties get involved too, and wild action ensues. To those that reviewed: thank you! Your comments were great and really helpful as usual. Thanks to those that read and add the fic to their favourites list too. I hope this update doesn't disappoint you. Also, don't forget there's fan art of this fic too. You can check the links from my profile page.

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**Chapter 9: Quickening**

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The door closed with a click. And Asuka opened her eyes. The girl tried to sit up, but her limbs were too heavy. Her head was throbbing with pain, making her sight dizzy. She knew it wouldn't be long before she truly passed out.

Those last moments had been the tensest of her life. The fight had gone wrong, very wrong. Asuka's style wasn't fit for this kind of fight, and Mana proved to be far tougher than she had thought. She had managed to hit her thrice in the whole fight, and even though those three blows had been quite good, the spy hadn't seemed very troubled by them. And she could hit real hard, too. Mana's last punch had managed to knock Asuka out, but only for a few seconds. The redhead awoke moments later, too dizzy to do anything. But she knew trying to fight again would be pointless: she had been schooled with Ayanami at her side, and having the advantage of starting in good condition. The redhead could hardly move when she woke up; fighting was out of the picture for her. Not even running would do a lot of good, even though Asuka would never run away like a coward, specially considering that she would be leaving Ayanami behind. And so, her only choice would be to stay put and keep her cool while her enemy pondered about whether to shoot her or not. To keep her breathing even and her eyes closed when she knew that Mana was pointing a gun at her and her life could very well end in an instant. It went against everything within her: her training, her own mindset and personality that always strived to fight back, to refuse to give up and relent; it went against her very own instincts as a human being. And yet, she kept quiet, and stayed still, unwilling to let anything give her away. Her pride had taken a devastating blow, one she wouldn't get over until she somehow righted it, but she was still alive.

She had succeeded. Her nerve had been put up to the test, and Asuka had passed. Kirishima left, and she was alone again.

The pain in her head seemed to double when she lifted her right hand to her ear. A tiny thread of blood escaped her lips, but Asuka didn't give up. Not now, even when her vision became blurry at times.

141.80; 141.52. Her last hope. Their last hope.

"Asuka?" Snake and Shinji's voices spoke at the same time through the codec, both carrying a surprised and slightly worried tone within them.

"S-Snake... Shinji..." Asuka whimpered, her voice faint and hoarse. Both men on the other side called her name in surprise, but Asuka struggled to go on "Kirishima... she's a spy."

A brief silence came from the other side, as Asuka's words were properly processed.

"What!" the other two chorused, shock and disbelief in Shinji's cry and alert on Snake's. Asuka's groggy mind found funny how much they seemed to resemble each other; maybe Shinji wasn't that much of an idiot after all...

"Mana... Kirishima," Asuka struggled to say, to clear her mind long enough to formulate her thoughts and to force her vocal chords to say the words "She... is a spy... Ayanami and I fought her... but she's gone."

"Asuka, where are you!" Snake's voice was filled with urgency. On the other line, Shinji gasped in distress.

The redhead's sight was worsening by the minute. Her thoughts were starting to fade, melting with each other, making it impossible to discern them. Mana had beaten Rei and Asuka, and that had hurt her pride. Snake had managed to get Ayanami to live in the same building as them, which Asuka didn't like. Misato had died almost twice in the past weeks, facing enemies they didn't know. Kaji hadn't been with her for ages, almost as if he was fading away as well. Shinji didn't pay her much attention lately either.

"Asuka, get a hold of yourself! Where are you right now!"

Shinji. Yes, that was it. That was what she was supposed to say right now. Something regarding Shinji. Kirishima and Shinji.

"She's... Shinji. She's coming for you... She'll... abduct... y..."

And finally, the pain became too much and Asuka's mind went blank as she passed out.

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"Shinji, listen to me!" Snake said over the boy's protests and cries of confusion. He swiftly donned his bandanna, grabbed a bag with his Sneaking Suit and ran out of his apartment to go into Misato's "You've got to leave immediately! Come back to this apartment as soon as you can, and try to look for Section 2 to help you as well!"

"But how can she be a spy, Snake!" Shinji argued, his voice filled with dread "Mana's not a soldier, she's my classmate!"

"We don't know if Asuka was right," Snake tried to calm the boy, using reason to get a response from him "But we do know she wouldn't lie to us either. Maybe this is all a mix-up, but we can't take any chances for now. Come back here and then we'll sort everything out, okay?"

"Y-Yeah," Shinji agreed, still trying to come to terms with recent happenings. Still, he knew Snake was right. Asuka wouldn't lie to them, and far fetched as it sounded, if she said Mana was a spy then she probably had her reasons for it "I'll go back now then, Snake."

"Good kid," Snake said "I'll call you again in a few minutes."

The man got inside Misato's apartment in a rush. Right now, the Major was home, taking some time off before her night shift at the base. Snake didn't bother with knocking, knowing Shinji himself was at stake here.

Misato was clearly enjoying her free time, and obviously didn't expect Snake to come in right now. The purple haired woman stood up from her couch as soon as the mercenary got inside, blushing madly with embarrassment at her own outfit which consisted on a pair of very short cut off jeans and a yellow tank top.

"Misato," Snake cut the woman's protests with a quick call, before telling her of Asuka's last call and his message to Shinji.

"So that girl's a spy?" Misato asked incredulously when Snake finished his summary.

"So it seems," Snake grunted. He was more experienced than Misato when it came down to espionage, and knew perfectly right that many organizations employed children as soldiers and spies with no problems; there was no such thing as a dirty conscience in the intelligence community "I told Shinji to head back here ASAP."

"We better call NERV now!" Misato said, reaching for her cell phone. She didn't notice Snake checking her out as she bent over to grab it. Misato dialled and waited for a few seconds "I can't... dammit, it's like the line is dead!"

As soon as she said that, Misato looked at Snake. The man returned her an alarmed look. Both knew the line wasn't dead.

"They've jammed our communications!" Snake grunted "Whatever Big Boss's planning, he's doing it now!

"We need to find Shinji right now," Misato said, her commanding persona taking over, leaving no traces of the carefree woman she was at home "We can't contact Section 2 either, so we can't know where he is. The best way will be to make him tell us his position so we can find him!"

Snake was ready. He had already dialled Shinji's frequency and was calling to him now "Shinji, are you there?" no answer came and both adults started to worry "Shinji, answer me! Shinji!" There was only silence as a response "Damn!" Snake cursed.

"If Asuka was right, then that Mana girl must have gotten to him," Misato assumed in concentration "In any case, he must be compromised enough not to be able to answer us."

"He's a hostage then," Snake stated darkly, not liking the situation one bit. At this rate, there would be nothing they could do to help him "We're going to have to retrieve him by force."

"I know," Misato agreed "And I know how to find him," she said, her face brightening "I can tap into his codec frequency with my computer. If I do that, we might be able to pinpoint his location!"

"You could do that?" Snake questioned, surprised. He wasn't much good with computers - that was Otacon's thing - but it looked that Ms. Katsuragi had more skills than he'd thought.

"You learn a few things if you live with Ritsuko in college," Misato explained, grinning slyly before disappearing inside her room.

Snake went to the living room to finish putting on his Sneaking Suit while Misato busied herself in the computer. It was the newest model of it Philanthropy had managed to acquire, since Otacon wasn't done with the Octocamo suit yet. It mostly resembled the one he'd worn on Shadow Moses, consisting of a gray thermal shirt, gray military issue pants, elbow and knee guards, a pair of dark gloves with metal plates at the back of each fist that were made to allow maximum grip as well as some protection to his hands and a pair of Combat Boots that Snake had gotten for himself before leaving the United States, made to increase traction and nullify every sound. Last but not least, a dark vest made of Kevlar completed his attire, with straps around his inner thighs and padding on his shoulders and neck. It made movement a little more difficult, but it provided excellent protection against blades and blunt objects, as well as some level of protection against bullets. It wouldn't stop large calibers, but it would certainly help against anything else.

"There! I'm done!" Misato's voice came from her room. The woman came out with a small device in her hands which Snake deduced was a GPS "I've marked Shinji's frequency on this GPS. We can track Shinji's position through his codec."

"So you can know where he is at all times?" Snake asked, quite impressed.

"Yep. If you were my boyfriend and I had this system, you'd never be able to cheat on me," Misato said merrily, going into her room to change into more suitable clothes.

"Being monitored twenty-four hours a day... that'd be a true hell..."

"Oh, don't be so negative about it," Misato said as she emerged from her room, fully dressed.

"Mmmm" Snake mumbled something unintelligible and looked up "Grab your guns and let's go!"

Misato grabbed her car keys and USP pistol, and soon both adults were on their way.

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.

"Y-Yeah," Shinji said through his codec, stunned "I'll go back now then, Snake."

"Good kid," Snake said, his rough voice sounding a little more relieved "I'll call you again in a few minutes."

The call ended and Shinji turned around to leave. He prayed to god this had all been a misunderstanding and that none of Asuka's claims were true. But he would follow Snake's advice for now; he had caused enough trouble as it was.

"Hello, Shinji."

Shinji turned around and found himself facing Mana. The girl was dressed in casual clothes, although not the kind one would wear on a date. Jeans, sneakers, a shirt and a jacket. Clothes that allowed freedom of movement. Shinji's eyes went up to her face. Mana's eyes had changed. She no longer had that kind, playful look in her face, that which came when she saw him. She only had a neutral face.

Mana looked at the boy in turn. She felt her insides grow cold when she saw the look he gave her. It wasn't that shy, kind look he always had. The look that made her feel somewhat normal, even for a slight moment. No, it was a careful look, almost an alarmed one. He was analyzing her. He wasn't the accepting boy she'd come to truly like, even in such a short time as they'd shared.

"Mana..."

"I see you're leaving early," the girl said, taking one step towards him "May I know why?"

Mana's lower lip was cut. Shinji saw that she had a bruise in her left cheek as well. And she had that dishevelled look he'd seen a few times, the one that came when people got into fights. Which meant that Asuka had told the truth on that, too. Shinji got a strange feeling within when he realized that; he felt hot inside, but the realization that he had been tricked, that everything had gone wrong and the dread that came with that felt cold as well. His face flushed, but he also felt cold and numb too.

"I-It's true isn't it?" Shinji asked, still numb, not wanting to hear Mana confirm his suspicions, wanting for her to say that no, that she wasn't a spy, that it wasn't true and everything was all right...

Mana looked at him and knew that the time for subtleties was over. Shinji knew the truth now and there was no way around it anymore. She would have given anything for him to ignore things just for a little while longer, but now it wasn't possible anymore.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I never intended to hurt you?" Mana whispered, taking a hesitant step towards the boy. Around them, cars passed by, unaware of the drama unfolding in the sidewalk. Shinji's eyes flashed with pain, and Mana felt even worse than her time in the JSSDF's hands.

"Never intended to hurt me?" Shinji muttered, and then a frown formed in his face "You betrayed me!" the words came out, and Shinji felt himself drown in agony; this was one of the most painful things that ever happened to him. To be betrayed by the people he trusted, to realize that no matter what happened, people only approached him out of some interest instead of him "You used me! You used me just like my father!"

"I didn't!" Mana argued, striding forward "I didn't use you! I only want to help you!"

"Stay away from me," Shinji deadpanned, his eyes ice cold; had Mana ever seen Gendo Ikari, she would have been surprised at how much his son resembled him in that moment. Hurt and pain filled Shinji's chest, but he also felt coldness, a certain aloofness that he had never experienced before. Shinji didn't realize at the time, but this would be one of the turning points of his life; he'd had enough being lied to, he'd had enough being manipulated by everyone "Stay away from me. I don't want to see you ever again. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want anything to do with you ever again," and with that the boy turned around and started to walk away.

The sound of a gun being readied made him stop.

"I'm sorry Shinji," Mana said, her voice strained but steady "But things have come too far for me to just give up so easily. I tried to reason with you but you wouldn't listen. I'll take you to Big Boss now and he'll decide what to do with you."

Shinji turned around as his codec started to ring. He heard Snake calling to him now. But there was no way he could answer him. Mana was pointing a handgun at him, which Shinji didn't recognize. He wasn't an expert in guns after all, or in hand to hand combat. Shinji didn't want to hurt others. And right now, there was little he could do. It looked like he would be meeting Big Boss after all.

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Misato's Renault Alpine sped through Tokyo 3's streets like a blue blur. Snake was a good driver, but he could see now why Misato had insisted on driving herself. The woman was reckless, and wild, but she could handle the wheel like no other. And right now, her desperation made her go even faster, pushing the limits of her car and leaving behind any line of what could be called safe driving. Her piloting antics and manoeuvres reminded Snake of his dead brother, who was another superb pilot. Good thing the Major was on the same side as he.

Misato took a wild turn, passing between two cars like lighting and avoiding hitting them by mere centimeters; unfazed by this, Snake checked his guns: he had the good old reliable Mk 23 SOCOM handgun with him, a 45. Pistol that many didn't like due to its size and power, which of course didn't trouble him; he also carried an M4 Carbine with a Red Dot Sight and a grenade launcher attached to the bottom, as well as a flashbang grenade and a chaff one too. Next to him, Misato carried her USP alone. Snake had offered her other guns, but the woman had refused, stating that she was uncomfortable with rifles and her handgun was all she needed for this. Recalling her duel with Ocelot and the skill she displayed then, Snake chose not to press.

Behind the wheel, Misato kept an eye on the GPS device while driving madly. Her charge was in danger and the woman was determined to get to him, no matter the cost. Shinji was moving towards the city's outskirts, probably forced by some kidnappers. That only made Misato delve deeper in fury, urging her to speed up even more. It was a miracle that they hadn't crashed already, but she didn't care about that. They were gaining ground, and that's all that mattered.

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Three VTOLS and a powerful Hind D travelled high in the air, approaching Tokyo 3's airspace. Inside one of the VTOLs, Revolver Ocelot spun the gun that gave him his first name. He and Big Boss' contacts on the JSSDF had paid off: the four ships they were using now appeared as JSSDF ships in NERV's radar, and therefore would be ignored. The JSSDF did have a strong presence in Tokyo 3, acting as a backup for NERV should they fail against the Angels. Four flying ships were nothing out of the ordinary. But this time, the ships would go to Mount Fuji once they picked up the cargo, namely Big Boss, agent Kaji, agent Kirishima, a technician named Makoto Hyouga, a new pilot named Touji Suzuhara and his little sister and, last but not least, one young boy named Shinji Ikari.

Ocelot had thought that Big Boss' plan of infiltrating Tokyo 3 was an arrogant and unnecessary risk, but as usual the Commander had been proven right. The amount of things he'd done in just a few days was stunning. Outer Heaven would be getting invaluable assets after this operation, dealing a devastating blow to NERV and its forces.

All the ships carried Big Boss' Special Forces, the Haven Troopers or FROGs Unit. Gray Fox had wanted to come but his injuries after his momentous escape from SEELE's main base had kept him from doing so. The Hind would serve as backup, should a fight ensue. And one of the VTOLs carried an arm designed for the Fulton Surface to Air System Recovery, which would work as a backup in case the retrieval went poorly.

And one small measure had been taken. Two Metal Gear RAY and ten Metal Gear Gekko had been prepared. The huge machines were ready for deployment, inside the base at Mount Fuji. More important, they had been outfitted with stealth capabilities. The RAYs were invisible to radar now, and the Gekko were small and would be mistaken for JSSDF's tanks. This meant they could travel the twenty miles between Fuji and Tokyo 3 without neither the JSSDF nor NERV noticing it. And given their top speed of 156 Mph. the mechas could get there quite fast.

Ocelot grinned. Yes, they'd come prepared. No one at NERV even suspected what they were doing. They would have left by the time NERV realized something was wrong.

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"You have to understand that we mean you no harm, Shinji," Mana said. She was walking next to Shinji, pointing her gun at him through her jacket.

"You're taking me towards a terrorist against my will," Shinji hissed back.

"Doesn't NERV force you to fight against your will?" Mana argued "Doesn't your own father use you like a piece in a chessboard? And NERV uses illegal means to do what it wants, too, so they're terrorists as well, Shinji. Terrorists that force you to do what they want regardless of your needs and desires," Shinji flinched inwardly at Mana's claims. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but her words rang deep within him, because he believed many of the things she had said. It had taken him weeks to acknowledge it, but Shinji knew he was nothing but another playable piece in his father's schemes. And it was clear very few in the organization gave a damn about what happened to him, so long as they got results. It was hard not to hate a place like that, especially if they asked you to fight for them.

"At least they don't ask me to kill other people," Shinji said at last, knowing this to be true at least.

"For now," Mana responded "You pilot an Evangelion, Shinji. Do you really think you won't be facing an army sooner or later? Ever since Unit 01 was created, you were doomed to become a soldier," Shinji said nothing at her words, pain running deep within him; this was a kind of life he always hated "You know I'm right," Mana went on "They'll order you to fight, to kill for them. And if you refuse, they'll guilt trip you into it. And even if that fails, they'll resort to blackmailing you!" Shinji closed his eyes as rage filled him - Rei, the spare is unusable. You'll have to do it again - "How can you be loyal to such people, Shinji! They don't deserve you! They keep taking and taking from you, only giving back what's necessary for you to play along with their schemes!" - If you're going to pilot with that negative attitude, then you better leave altogether! - "They take your soul away! Look at how much you've lost already! What kind of people deserves this much loyalty, Shinji!"

And so it happened that Earth stood still again, waiting for the outcome of this drama, unfolding in a simple sidewalk in Japan. Mana's words rang deep, and finally struck a nerve, and Shinji's resolve staggered for the first time, making the balance of power shift towards Big Boss' side. Faint moments passed, fleeting instants, and mankind's future was yet again put in the hands of one Shinji Ikari, whose choice would be pivotal in the course of future events.

"Join us, Shinji!" Mana pressed, passion filling her voice as the girl let herself loose and gave way to her deeper feelings "Join me! You hate NERV! You've hated it ever since you set foot on the city! Leave them now that you have the chance! Leave them like I left the JSSDF!" Mana was too caught up in her attempts to persuade the boy to realize what she was saying anymore; she saw herself reflected in him, another slave of other people's wishes "For the first time in your life, you have an alternative! An Outer Heaven! A way out! Take it! Take it, please! Come with me! Fight with us!"

Shinji stopped, heedless of Mana's gun. His head was hung low, his eyes were shut. His brow was harshly furrowed, lines forming in his forehead, wrinkles in his face, and such was the burden his features revealed, so strong the conflict within his face that one would have thought him but an old man; no teenager could ever have such a look plastered in his visage.

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The JSSDF heavy troopers had several vigilance outposts on the way to Tokyo 3. It was clear no one wanted Outer Heaven's forces going inside the fortified city. The whole thing was ironic in a way, the black shape thought. The Japanese Government was employing Praying Mantis forces in Kyoto, Okinawa and Tokyo 2 to keep some order now that SEELE was gone and their military was in turmoil, and thus financing Outer Heaven itself. But these were quite desperate times for the Government, and for them it was either pay for the PMCs help or collapse as of now. What a vicious loop.

One of the guars approached, but he didn't even see the black figure. The ninjas were hard to spot. They were actually the stuff of legends among the military community: many people doubted they existed. The thought of a creature being capable of deflecting bullets with a sword, or being able to punch through walls with ease and move so fast that it became hard to see was quite hard to fathom.

But the ninjas existed. The black figure moved through the sides of the road, using some trees as cover, and quickly disappeared from sight again. The JSSDF guards never suspected there had been someone else there that day. Now that the outpost was behind, the ninja started to run madly at the road's side. He had to get to Tokyo 3 as soon as possible.

Raiden had been a prisoner long enough. But he was free now, and it was time to end his own personal war. And now that it seemed Big Boss was at large again, he would help Snake defeat him and prevent the Evangelions being used in war.

He had seen the ships leave the Fuji facility from a distance. Something was going on, and something big. Raiden sped up. There was no time left.

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"Don't tell me you're doing this for your partners and commanding officer," Mana snarled, angry with Shinji and the whole situation "They do nothing for you in turn. Come with me, Shinji. I'm not letting you go. Come with me."

Shinji couldn't help but think of what would happen should he accept Big Boss' 'offering.' NERV could be finished. And his father, whom he hated. He could be with people that actually cared about him, people willing to do things for him as well. But then he thought of what he'd be leaving behind as well, and doubt filled him yet again. Misato had taken him in out of her own will, not as a chore or a job from NERV. She could be very selfish and sometimes hypocritical too, but she had gone out of her way to help him too, just because she wanted to do it. The woman had given him the first home he'd ever had, and arguably become his first true friend as well. And while he did pilot and did a lot of things for her, didn't deserting mean a betrayal of sorts to her?

It was then that some of Snake's words came back to him. The man had said them that night after the battle in the volcano, seemingly ages ago, when Shinji's life was simpler than this. He had heard them, and paid attention to them, but not until now had Shinji comprehended the deeper meaning they had.

'Growing up means you have to decide what to do with your life. Whatever you choose, whatever you believe in, stick by it. Prove your loyalty to yourself.'

All his life he had been nothing but a pawn. Shinji realized in the following weeks after his arrival that NERV had kept tabs on him for his entire life. They had called him out of the blue, convinced that he could pilot Unit 01, when in fact there should have been a lot of testing involved to determine if that was possible. They kept updated and thorough files about him, even though he had lived far away from Tokyo 3. It wasn't hard to see that they knew he could pilot, and waited long enough to force him into it by sheer blackmailing: everyone would die should he refuse at this point in events. Shinji didn't have a hand in choosing or believing something: it was always forced upon him. So how could he be loyal to himself if he didn't have the chance to choose? How could he be loyal if he didn't have the chance to believe? But then again, beliefs were something he was enticed to have.

In the end, the big question was what he believed.

What did he believe?

Two wrongs don't make a right.

NERV was wrong. NERV was a place devoid of any selflessness. It was a place where arrogant, cowardly people used others for their own petty reasons while justifying themselves with what they named a greater call. Mana was completely right about that. But that didn't make Outer Heaven right at all. They wanted to use the Evangelion units to destroy NERV, and then move on to the rest of the world, upsetting the balance of powers and creating chaos where 'freedom' could be born. But Shinji didn't believe any freedom would come from such destruction. Shinji was tired of always having to link his life to what he hated most, the Evangelion. He believed he would seek the best path from all of his options, he believed he would stick to his own moral codes. He wouldn't kill people for Outer Heaven, but he wouldn't kill people for NERV as well.

He made up his mind. His brow hardened.

"I can't let you use the Evangelion! I'm doing this out of loyalty to myself. I'm not going to live my life the way others want me to!" and those words, that ironically enough echoed Big Boss' claim made forty four years before, sealed his fate and redeemed him anew. Shinji Ikari was free at last, no longer a pawn in others game.

His outburst caused heavy silence. Mana's face was devoid of any mask now, and it showed the girl's feelings clearly for the first time. Her eyes were surprised, her brow sad and her jaw set on anger, Mana's emotions were conflicted. Despair, sorrow, regret, frustration and anger ran within her, hardening her resolve, dissolving any chance of a peaceful talk. She wasn't Big Boss; she didn't have the same power with words he did. Mana lost her cool after hearing Shinji's words.

"...Have it your way," Mana said at last, her voice cold and dangerous "Now you're our prisoner. Big Boss will see what to do with you."

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The car came to a screeching halt and its occupants got out quickly. Snake and Misato checked their guns one more time; Snake had his Mk 23 sheathed, going for the heavier M4 instead, while Misato simply had her USP at the ready. She had donned a bullet proof vest yet again, recalling how useful the thing had been when she faced Ocelot. Boots made for her footwear, and she also wore comfortable military issue pants which she hadn't used in ages for now. But they would come in handy right now. She wore a shirt, her vest and a green jacket as well and only had her gun holster and several clips of ammo as her items. Simple really, but efficient.

They had stopped about four hundred feet away from Shinji's signal. It came from an old warehouse complex, consisting of several old buildings and storage houses. Probably a leftover of the JSSDF's original emplacements while the city was being built. It wouldn't be a surprise if they found old, unused guns and heavy weaponry in there, piled up and useless.

"Shinji's signal comes from somewhere in those warehouses," Misato said in a low voice, careful of any eavesdropper "We need to locate him and get him back to headquarters as soon as possible."

"The place is probably guarded," Snake grunted back "And there's quite a lot of space to cover. We better split up to find him; we'll contact through the codec as soon as we do so," Misato nodded in agreement, checking her USP one last time "Alright," Snake said "We go stealth from now on."

And the two moved like shadows, walking inside the complex and looking for the captive boy.

.

They were finally here. Mana led Shinji inside a big, rundown warehouse; it was an old building that belonged to the JSSDF years ago, and had been left abandoned after they built better facilities. The boy had kept quiet after their argument, and Mana didn't know what to say either, so she kept silent as well. Mana knew Big Boss was in the biggest building of the whole complex, probably escorted by his own FROGs unit there; she had to get there already and be done with this. The whole complex was bigger than she remembered.

The two got into a small room full of boxes as they made their way through the warehouse. Mana was about to close the door behind her when she spotted a shadow come near. The girl quickly grabbed Shinji's arm and led him to the corner of the room, placing herself next to the door with her gun ready. She didn't have to wait long.

A man got inside the small room. Mana wanted to curse herself: he looked like a complete professional, and he definitely wasn't on Big Boss' side. The girl wanted to wonder about how in hell had someone found her, but she had more pressing matters to attend to. The man was wearing a Sneaking Suit, although his model was clearly meant for battle as well since he had several reinforced pads on his arms and legs as well as a Kevlar vest. He was also carrying an M4 Carbine in his hands and a SOCOM handgun in his thigh. Mana let him walk past before revealing herself.

"Freeze!" Mana said, pointing her pistol at the man. The stranger complied, suddenly very still. However, he was tense, almost like he was about to turn around and jump over the girl "Put down your weapon, and put your hands over your head, now!"

The man left his carbine in the floor and raised his hands slowly. His movements were calm and very cold, and something about him seemed threatening, even if he had his hands in the air and wasn't facing Mana.

"Big mistake..." Solid Snake said, slowly turning around. He was now facing Mana, and saw the girl's despair when she realized who she was up against "Rookie!"

Mana's mind was in turmoil. How in living hell had this happened? Why Solid Snake? Of all people, Solid Snake had been the one to find her and Big Boss. Her hands were shaking. Now she was face to face with the man that had beaten absolutely everyone in battle, and the Boss would be compromised if she failed...

Snake was too fast. He moved forward, intertwining his right leg between Mana's, disarming her HK 45 pistol's barrel with his right hand and pushing her to the ground with his left. It had been a CQC move, one Big Boss had taught him and that the old man had learned from The Boss herself.

Mana stood up quickly and charged, going for a reverse slash with her knife, aiming for Snake's chest. The seasoned warrior didn't concern himself much: he grabbed the knife hand before it made contact and twisted the arm painfully, making Mana drop the blade in extreme pain. The girl's chest felt heavy with anguish; she was failing miserably, and now everything would be over. She would be a prisoner for NERV, or maybe a slave for the JSSDF again, and Big Boss would fall.

Snake didn't hesitate. He swiftly hit the back of the girl's neck and slammed her to the floor. It was safest to incapacitate her and be done with it. Mana blacked out instantly. Shinji appeared from the side, looking at Snake with surprised eyes.

"You alright kid?" Snake promptly asked, relived that the young man didn't seem to have any injuries.

"Yeah..." Shinji answered, almost as shocked as Mana had been "How did you find me? I couldn't answer the codec, I'm sorry."

"Misato tracked you here," Snake informed, grabbing his Carbine again "We figured something was wrong when you didn't answer the codec."

"I'm sorry," Shinji said before registering Snake's first words "Wait, Misato tracked me here? Did she come with you?"

"Yeah," Snake said, turning to look at Mana "She's looking for you as well. I'm sure she'll find us soon." A brief silence ensued.

"Is she okay?" Shinji finally asked, eyeing the girl with sad eyes. Snake was surprised at him: he was wondering about the health of the girl that had been lying to him all along and kidnapped him. He hadn't seen this noble of a person in a long time.

"Yeah, just knocked out," he answered, checking Mana's pulse. She was fine, breathing steadily. She would wake up with one hell of a headache, but that was it.

Misato entered the room a second later. The woman didn't waste time and hugged her charge. After a brief hesitation, Shinji hugged her back. Both started to talk in a hushed tone while Snake busied himself readying for the battle to come.

Snake eyed the fallen girl. The guns, he had no use for. But the last item she carried made him think. It was a CQC knife. Snake had forsaken that style sixteen years ago, just for the same reason he had left the military even though he had been offered the title of Boss and the position of Commander of FOXHOUND. The same reason that made him hide in Alaska for years before Shadow Moses, and why he devoted himself to destroy every Metal Gear in existence afterwards. Snake didn't want to become Big Boss. He was the man's clone, a duplicate of him, and a disciple too. But he didn't want to be him, and he reflected that even in the combat styles he used in the battlefield. But now... Even though Snake was a master of twenty two different types of martial arts, he had yet to create a replacement for CQC. He could face anyone in battle, but against Big Boss, not using the style was extremely dangerous. Even though he was quite rusty - it'd been nineteen years since he dropped CQC - he would have to make do with what he knew. Shaking his head, Snake grabbed the knife and sheathed it in his waist. It would be better to prepare himself as best as possible.

Next to him, Misato and Shinji were still talking. The woman was asking the young pilot about every encounter he had with Mana to try to determine the extent of the girl's knowledge.

"You two need to get out of here," Snake said, interrupting the two. They gave him grave looks in turn "Big Boss is here and knowing him he surely has a few nasty surprises waiting for us. You two need to get to the car and leave while you can; I'll take care of him."

"But..." Shinji argued, alarmed "Isn't it dangerous? He could have soldiers waiting too! Can't you come with us?"

"Shinji, this is what NERV hired me for," Snake said, shaking his head "And my own personal reason to be here. Big Boss is my enemy and my problem to deal with. I'm here because I want to. I have my own battles," it was the second time Shinji saw that steely determination stir within Snake, and for the second time he felt ashamed of his own lack of courage next to Snake's unrelenting bravery. But Misato merely gave Snake an odd look and the mercenary found himself feeling tired. Somehow, he knew this wouldn't be the end of the matter with the Major.

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"Ocelot is coming, Boss," Kaji said as he ended a codec call with the Russian gunslinger "He's already prepared the Metal Gear should there be any problems. The JSSDF hasn't detected a thing."

"Good," Big Boss rumbled "Then our escape will go unhindered." He reached for his right ear and placed a finger in it, making a call through his codec "Mana, come in," the man called in his rough voice. His face hardened when he received no response "Come in, Mana," but the silence on the other side continued "What the hell..."

"Her signal tracks her down here," Kaji said, checking Mana's codec signal through a GPS; his roguish smile quickly disappeared "But she isn't moving!"

"Then we've been infiltrated!" Big Boss grunted, raising his eyebrows. He made a curt gesture with his right hand, raising it in the air, and a heavily armed team prepared behind him. It was a group of strange women armed with P90's and Machete's. They wore skin-tight brown bodysuits with black Kevlar padding over it, black armour placed along their knees down to their shins and also on their forearms and elbows. Their booted feet ended in strange looking claws, and sand colored straps went all over their bodies, supporting them and their gear. The heads were covered by black helmets and what appeared to be a gas mask built into it with read eyes. All in all, they looked frightening. The most terrible thing was that they moved as one, with an uncanny synchronization with one another that left that of Shinji and Asuka in shame.

The women moved away, leaving the large warehouse Big Boss and Kaji were in and looking for the intruder in the other buildings of the deserted complex. Kaji had to suppress a shiver when watching them; they were the FROGs, a unit entirely composed of women who had endured heavy trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. They composed one of Big Boss' ultimate elite units, on par with the Arsenal Tengus and Big Boss' special guard.

The old man seemed oblivious to Kaji's musings. He had a thoughtful and yet alarmed look on his face.

"Could it be... him?"

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Standing on the top of Metal Gear RAY's head, Vamp checked Big Boss' last message. It seemed there was trouble on Tokyo 3. The old man's cover had been blown, and the little girl that was meant to capture Ikari wasn't responding. Worst yet, her signal was nearly at the recovery point, which meant she had been tracked.

The Romanian wizard smirked. He would have never trusted that girl with such an important mission like getting Ikari on their side. But his methods weren't accepted by Big Boss and Ocelot, so here he was.

What mattered now was that Big Boss' cover had been blown. Right in the outskirts of Tokyo 3, the enemy's stronghold. And the Evangelion were within reach of the warehouse complex, even though it may take them a minute or two to get there. Against the mechas, even Big Boss would be outclassed. But of course, his RAY wasn't. Outer Heaven had outfitted it specifically to deal with the enormous Evangelion.

It was time to put the next stage of Big Boss' plan in action. Vamp made a sign with his hand and ordered the other Metal Gear, one RAY and ten Gekko, to get ready. The cockpit of his own RAY hissed and opened smoothly, and Vamp got inside. Metal Gear vs. Evangelion. He was looking forward to it.

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Shinji knew how to drive. Misato had taught him a few months after he arrived, just as a way to pass time and to bond a little. The Major had done it in prevention of another possible scenario as well: should there be an Angel attack and Shinji was out of reach, the young boy would at least have a mean to get back if Section 2 didn't help him.

"What are you doing, Misato?" Shinji asked when the woman directed him to the wheel. He was the only person she would trust with her precious Renault Alpine.

"You're driving, Shinji," Misato answered sternly, her jaw set "Get as far away from here as possible, and contact NERV immediately. That's an order."

"But what about you?" Shinji stammered "Aren't you going to come with me?"

"No," Misato said, shaking her head and turning towards Snake "I'm going to fight too."

"I can handle it," Snake stated, shaking his head "I don't want you to get involved."

"I'm already involved," Misato argued "So I'm going."

"You'll just slow me down;" Snake grunted "There's a war going on here. I don't have time to babysit anymore."

"You listen to me, Snake," Misato growled, and her face hardened. Her voice became severe "I might not be as trained as you are, but I won't let this chance slip by either. This is the opportunity to stop that madman from causing a new world war and I'm going to take it one way or another. We're in this together now."

"Alright," Snake relented, knowing that there would be no point in discussing further "But you'll have to stick close to me and never leave my side. I don't want you getting killed today."

"Don't worry," Misato flashed him a grin similar to that she gave Shinji when she faced the Jet Alone crisis. She then got in his personal space and pecked him in the cheek "For luck!" Misato said, answering to his surprised face. Snake looked at her with his eyebrows raised and then smiled.

"Shinji, head back to NERV," Misato ordered, turning around to the boy. His devastated face felt crushing inside, but she had to remain strong "Tell them about this and make sure they send reinforcements. Don't forget to mention that Asuka is still in Kirishima's apartment."

"I don't want you to do this," Shinji muttered sadly, his head hung low "You faced these people twice and barely got out alive. They'll kill you this time."

"Don't worry about me," Misato said, trying her best to keep her voice steady. She wasn't a coward, but like everyone else she was afraid of dying "You know I can handle myself. Besides, I'm not alone this time, am I?" she said, nudging her head towards Snake. Seeing Shinji keep quiet, she caressed her - absolutely beautiful - Renault Alpine "C'mon, do you really think I'd let my poor baby abandoned like this?" Shinji finally smiled and opened the driver's door.

"Snake..." the boy said, looking at the warrior with clear eyes "Make sure you finish this."

"Leave it to me," the man answered, giving him a reassuring nod. Shinji felt a little better despite himself: Snake had faced an Angel alone once. If there was someone who could pull this off, it was him.

The car's engines rumbled and the machine sped off, leaving the complex behind without any problems. Misato had to fight to keep control of herself as melancholy and slight anguish battled her for dominance. But she stood fast and turned around towards Snake, who gave her a tranquilizing look. His utter calmness in the face of death was quite frightening, she thought. Maybe this was a side of the legend no one knew.

"If you run out of ammo, you can have mine," Snake said, checking his M4 was fully loaded. It was standard procedure before going into battle.

"You got enough?" Misato asked as she did the same. She was rusty in hand to hand combat, but she was a crack shot with her reliable USP pistol. Truth be told, Misato had become a fan of the handgun in 2007, after reading a report of Snake using that same gun in the Tanker Incident. Like many in the academy, she tended to imitate what she heard of the best fighters in the world. She couldn't quite believe she was going to fight next to him.

"Absolutely," Snake grinned, pointing to his blue bandanna "Infinite ammo." He equipped the M4 and Mana's CQC knife, holding it with his left hand which he also used on the Carbine's foregrip "Come on."

He led the way. Snake was a ghost when he wanted to be. He stuck to the shadows, and didn't make any noise. Doing her best to keep up and remain quiet, Misato could see why he had sneaked into places that were impossibly guarded. But this wasn't a sneaking mission, this was a search for Outer Heaven's Commander and his forces, and would surely end in an all out battle which they were unlikely to survive.

And as such the two made their way deeper into the place, going deeper and deeper inside, moving forward to a secure trap and a fight with the world's deadliest warriors. Two of them against the unknown. Other people may have called them brave for doing this: but it is moments like these that test a person's true resolve, when no one is there to see what you do and give you courage, when no one is there to know that you fought a bloody battle, when no one is there to tell the tale if you don't make it out alive. Just you, your enemies, and the darkness. A test only real heroes dared to take. A battle to come, to be fought, not between good and evil, not between right and wrong, but between opponents. Heroes on both sides, warriors ready to undergo the ultimate trial.

The time to fight had come. Would this be an end for the war?

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**Author Notes 2:**

And so it ends, folks. I know you won't be exactly pleased about the cliff-hanger, but this had become long enough anyway. I'll try my hardest to update fast, though, so please be a little patient.

Shinji's refusal may seem a little too assertive and off character, but I based it on his refusal to hurt Touji in the middle of the battle against the possessed Unit 03. Shinji can be very strong when he wants to be, and it's clear he has a sense of morals his peers don't have. Even in the middle of a battle, with his own neck being squeezed, he refused to fight other humans. Keeping that in mind, I don't think his strong resolve here is out of character. I tried to portray that side of him as well, this time having had the aid of Snake who told him to stick to whatever he believed is right.

Raiden is back, folks! I couldn't leave him out of the action. I mentioned another ninja once or twice in previous chapters, so you know who that ninja is now. To those who like him, he'll be getting his more than fair share of action soon, so please stay tuned.

A major battle is about to take place. I already wrote some things about it, but any requests will be heard. Thanks for reading!

Devil Boss


	12. Confrontation

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own any of the characters from the Evangelion and Metal Gear Solid universes; they belong to Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, GAINAX Studios, Hideo Kojima, Shoji Shinkawa, Kojima Productions and Konami Studios.

**Author Notes:**

Well, here I am. I'm sorry for the delay, but college life finally got to me, and I couldn't write as fast as I'd liked. This is the longest chapter I've written so far, though, so I hope it'll make up for the wait. Plenty of action here, and even considering that I haven't included all the things I'd like. This chapter is kind of a first, since there's little but fights and duels in it; I certainly hope you'll like it.

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**Chapter 10: Confrontation**

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The whole complex consisted of several old buildings, watchtowers and storage rooms. Snake and Misato decided to check the biggest one first. They knew it probably was the one Big Boss was in, and if that wasn't the case then it would give them the high ground should it come down to a fight.

The building was four stories tall, Snake had guessed when they got inside, and maybe a roof made for helicopters and VTOLs on top. Surely made to accommodate refugees or store JSSDF supplies if things got out of hand in Tokyo 3. Right now, Snake and Misato were entering a room in the first floor with careful steps.

It was a large room; filled with seven foot tall shelves that held unused equipment and stored rations and supplies should catastrophe hit the city. There was a small room next to the door Snake and Misato had entered from, south from the large storage room. There were no doors for it, just empty arcs to get in, and only a solid wooden desk in the middle with a chair next to it. The small room gave way to a corridor that led east, which Snake figured took to the stairs to the upper floors.

Snake led them to the small room, bent on avoiding large spaces. Odds were that they would be outnumbered here: open areas would do no good.

Misato raised her head in alarm and locked eyes with Snake, who gave her a grim nod in response. They could hear them; them, because the enemy was a unit of heavily armed commandos whose members moved in complete synch with one another. Snake knew them: it was the FROGs, a unit composed of the best members of all PMCs, all trained together and modified with nanomachines to produce an unstoppable force in the battlefield. He had encountered them before in the Middle East, and it hadn't been a nice experience.

"These soldiers are Ocelot's private army," he whispered to Misato "Shoot first, think later."

They prepared, and waited. There wasn't much else to do. They were out of sight from the large storage room, but that was it. Misato could heard the footsteps of the enemy; she had to suppress a shiver at the sound of how synchronized they were. These were artificially enhanced fighters they were facing, nearly machines made to kill.

Snake, on the other hand, didn't hesitate. The first FROG appeared on the eastern corridor, seeking for hidden enemies. Two more were following her. He killed the first with a direct hit to the head, his aim as deadly as ever.

But soon thereafter bullets started to fly, hitting everything around them, making Snake take cover behind a desk while Misato hid on a blind spot next to the door. The FROGs were aiming for Snake - clearly they hadn't had the time to notice someone else - which gave Misato an opening to fire a few rounds of her own. Her aim was very good, but the tense situation and the quickness demanded by this manoeuvre made her miss the chest of the FROG she was aiming at, hitting her leg instead. The masked woman gasped slightly before answering with a barrage of fire of her P90, which Misato barely had time to avoid by getting behind cover once again. But Snake used that small moment to nail the FROG on the head with two precise shots of his M4, his face stone cold. One of the FROGs peeked at the other side of the corridor and got a round right through her gasmask. Snake was honouring his legend: when in battle, he was possessed by a demon.

But by now the FROGs had realized their attack from the eastern corridor was suicidal and changed tactics: four appeared on the big storage next to the small room Snake and Misato were in, two of them jumping on top of the shelves filled with rations and the remaining two covering the stairs that led to the upper floors, standing in a 45º angle from their enemies. Snake didn't waste time and killed the two on the shelves with precise headshots, while Misato held the other two back as best as she could. But the situation was bad, since they were in a small room without a good view and the FROGs were in the upper ground, perfectly able to aim and fire whenever either Snake or Misato tried to take aim.

Misato saw a slight opening and took it without hesitation: she aimed fast, not taking the time to seek a killing blow, and nailed a FROG's foot with her USP: the female commando yelled in pain and lost her footing, falling to the floor in a heap. Misato took her out before she even got up with three powerful rounds of her handgun. She was glad that she always took the time to go to the shooting range in her free time.

The last FROG jumped in the air and landed close to her dead comrade, slowly retreating to where she came from while shooting her P90 with precise aim; Snake peeked and nailed her on the leg with a quick shot, and Misato hit her on the stomach with a round of her own; both fighters shot at the same time once more and killed the woman with brutal efficiency.

"Good work!" Snake said, reloading "Let's head east!"

The two fighters left for the small corridor, away from the large storage room. Their chances in open spaces were dim at best, even more considering the FROGs' ability to jump high and stick to the walls. Both of them knew they needed to find closed spaces and the high ground if they were to survive this fight.

"From behind!"

Snake let Misato pass and aimed, waiting for the female commandos to appear: he hit the first one in the chest while two more jumped in the air and stuck to the roof, using their specialized gear to support their weight on the surface: the two of them backflipped over and over again, nearing Snake while still keeping their bodies tight to the roof. Snake let loose a barrage of fire and managed to hit one of them, making her fall to the floor and break her neck in the process, but he couldn't do more as the remaining women opened heavy fire from the small room they'd left before and the one in the roof took aim from above. The mercenary retreated, never taking his sight off the corridor, and tapped Misato's shoulder as soon as he got in range of her. Misato moved immediately: she turned to aim to the corridor while Snake took point, leading them up the stairs to the upper floors. One of the FROGs exited the corridor but NERV's Major was precise: she shot her in her throat and left a bloody mess on the floor.

They reached the second floor and found a corridor that rang east to west leaving the main room to the north empty, exposing them to the agile FROGs. A strike team was coming from the northern rooms, while the remaining ones downstairs closed in on them: the situation was dire at best, no matter how good they were. They had known that this was a suicidal battle before hand, and they weren't wrong: their enemies were relentless, mercy being an unwritten word in their books.

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Shinji was driving through Tokyo 3's crowded streets as fast as he could. The young man was actually quite good behind the wheel, his gentle and careful nature making him considerate of safety, although net very daring. Considering his present situation, that was both good and bad. He wouldn't be crashing anytime soon, but now was a desperate time which may have called for drastic measures.

But it was what - or who - lay on the back seat what kept his mind busy. It had been nagging at him since Snake left it - or her - there. His eyes kept going there, attracted and obsessed.

His cell phone rang suddenly and Shinji nearly jumped in surprise. He quickly received the call with a nervous gasp.

"Snake!" Shinji asked, hoping to hear from the mercenary. He was sick with worry about him and Misato, left behind in a suicidal fight.

"No Shinji, I'm Doctor Akagi," the fake blonde's voice came from the other side, ringing with a collected although fast paced tone "We have reason to believe an undercover attack is going on in the city, and we need you to come back immediately. We just managed to get the cell phones and basic communications working a few moments ago."

"There is an attack!" Shinji confirmed, his voice high with panic "It's Big Boss! One of his soldiers tried to kidnap me, and Snake and Misato are there now! I don't know what happened to Asuka either, and I think Ayanami is hurt as well!"

"Shinji, calm down!" Ritsuko cut in, her voice high as well as she tried to make sense of the boy's words and reign over her own fear as well "You're telling me that Big Boss tried to kidnap you? Where is he now? Are Misato and the others fine?"

"Big Boss tried to kidnap me," Shinji said, exhaling to get a hold of himself "And Asuka and Ayanami tried to stop him. I've been trying to reach them but the phones were dead just like you said. Snake and Misato saved me but they stayed behind to try and stop Big Boss on their own, and I don't know what happened to them!"

"Snake and Misato...!" Ritsuko gasped, her glasses - which she only used from time to time, dammit - falling down. She couldn't believe how foolish that was: it was obvious Big Boss would have some sort of backup or task force to aid him here, and trying to fight him alone would be reckless and dangerous. She wasn't all that surprised about Snake after his stunts with the Ninth Angel, but Misato was a different matter "Where are they now, Shinji! You need to tell me now!" maybe it wasn't so surprising that Misato decided to stay as well, considering her character...

"In an abandoned JSSDF warehouse east of Aoshi Boulevard," Shinji answered, his precise information surprising the Doctor on the other side of the phone.

"Very well," Ritsuko said, trying her hardest to remain calm in order to keep the boy serene as well "Very well. I'll contact the First and Second Children. Don't worry, with the cell phones back in line we'll get them back quickly. You just concentrate on heading back to the Geo Front as fast as you can, okay?"

She cut the call and Shinji blowed a sigh of relief and tension at the same time. Maybe Asuka and Rei would be fine. But there was something he needed to do first.

On the back seat, Mana moaned and woke up firmly tied. Snake had put her there before Shinji left after tying her himself, assuring Shinji that she wouldn't be breaking free anytime soon. Shinji would have to deliver her to NERV once he returned. The man had given him a strange look when he said that, something Shinji couldn't properly identify. As if he was hinting to something else.

But Shinji believed he had understood. Snake had given him space. With all the mayhem going on, Mana was out of everyone's mind... and Snake had put her right under Shinji's care. He had let Shinji be the one to decide, for the first time. He had trusted the boy's judgement

"Shinji?" Mana said, after some moments of intense struggle against the binds proved resistance was futile.

"Yeah," the boy answered.

He shut his cell phone off.

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The battle was intensifying each minute. Snake and Misato had made it to the third floor now, away from the open storage room where the FROGs could stick to the walls and get clear shots on them while the others cornered them from the hallways and corridors. But now the fight had translated into a deadly game of hide and seek in the empty rooms of the third floor, which consisted of kitchens and bedrooms for either JSSDF troops or refugees from the city, before the shelters were built in 2013.

The two of them retreated, Misato taking point while Snake took care of the following troopers with deadly bursts of his carbine. Three FROGs appeared from the far end of the corridor they were in, forcing them to seek cover in a lounge to their right. Misato swept the room, finding it empty, while behind her Snake killed a FROG with a direct hit. The mercenary followed her, and both of them moved through tables and benches while the FROGs took position around the room, surrounding them.

"Contact!" Misato warned when one of the FROGs entered the lounge and jumped to the roof, gaining the upper ground instantly. The Major would never understand how did they do that, but she knew very well how dangerous it was for her and Snake. She opened fire with her USP, managing to hit the FROG but too slow to achieve a critical hit; her enemy stopped and kept hanging to the roof with her feet, aiming while upside down and ripping Misato's combat vest to shreds with gunfire from her P90. The Major kept firing, though, and hit the FROG's head with relentless fire of her USP.

A flashbang grenade made it right in the lounge and Misato had time to just close her eyes; the following bang dazed her and she was unable to discern anything. Following her own combat instincts, Misato threw herself down to the floor as a defense mechanism. In her daze, Misato saw that Snake had crouched nearby and was now waiting for the right moment to spring; a FROG approached, intent on taking them out while stunned and the man quickly made his move, taking her down with expert CQC moves.

Recovering swiftly, the two fighters hid behind a bar filled with empty glasses, while their enemies' rounds turned the glass into shrapnel that hurt Misato's right hand and scratched Snake's left cheek; blood started to slide down the wounds. Fortunately enough, Misato's tendons were fine and she could move her hand.

"Cover me!" Snake warned suddenly, passing her a 45. ammo clip. Misato nodded to him, seeing how he left the place in silence and went to the adjacent kitchen without being seen, leaving her to deal with the FROGs alone. The woman let out a few bursts of blindfire with her USP and crouched low to hide from the retaliatory fire the FROGs sent in turn. She reloaded, realizing how much trust she was placing on Snake by letting him leave the scene like this, confident that he would do something to get them out of this mess.

But for now she was on her own, holding her ground against several FROGs, all shooting at her from different angles. Two of them had knocked a table over, hiding behind the thick wood to fire at her in disciplined turns; one had taken to guard the entrance to the lounge, providing cover fire when the others reloaded, and the last two were moving in, bent on flanking her and ending the fight. Misato peeked and shot one in the chest - she wasn't sure if she had killed her with that shot - but that was her last ounce of defiance left. The FROGs expertly left her with no more openings.

This was an opening for Snake. Misato's trust was rewarded when the mercenary suddenly reappeared, this time attacking from behind the FROGs, using the one in the door as a human shield to coldly open fire on the others; the mess his actions caused allowed Misato to reengage, killing two enemy fighters by herself. Snake had gone around the lounge, sneaking through the kitchens and rooms to attack the enemies from their backs while Misato stood as bait. It had been a ruthless tactic, but no less of what was to be expected from a battle like this.

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A constant ringing woke Asuka up. Her head still hurt and she felt dizzy, but she realized as her sight started to clear that she wasn't as bad as before now. It looked that this time she would be waking up for real. That was good, if only because now she could try and help solve the mess Shinji had gotten himself into. The only thing that nagged her was that stupid constant sound, almost like a phone...

Wait, her cell phone. Asuka grabbed it as soon as possible.

"Asuka?" Akagi's voice came from the other side, and the redhead felt glad to hear her for the first time in her life.

"Yes," she answered, surprised at how raspy her voice sounded "You need to sound the alarms, now."

"I know," the Doctor said "Shinji already told me. Don't worry, he's fine. We need to know where you and the First Child are, Asuka."

'Shinji's fine?' Asuka thought, both relieved and curious as to how had the boy managed to get away from Mana when both she and the First Child together had failed to beat her. But there were more pressing matters now "We are in Mana Kirishima's apartment," she said to the blond Doctor "Number 391, Kawashi street, apartment 1B," she walked towards Rei and put a hand on her neck: the blue haired girl had a pulse, slow but steady. It seemed Kirishima had hit her hard, but caused nothing more than unconsciousness.

"Very well," Ritsuko answered. She couldn't believe she was the one trying to fix the mess everyone had created "I'm sending Section 2 to pick you both up. Don't leave that place, don't do anything. They'll escort you back to the Geo Front as soon as possible."

"Got it," Asuka said as she cut the call.

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This was officially the bloodiest massacre Misato had ever seen in her life. The corpses of the defeated FROGs lay all around them, a horrible testament of the devastating battle that had taken place moments before. Snake had fought like a devil, killing everything that moved so fast that most times Misato didn't even see the threats before he finished them. But the Major herself had proved to be a worthy companion of the legend, holding her ground during the fight and finishing several enemy commandos by herself. Still, Misato was well aware she owed her life to Snake several times already.

"Here," Snake said, handing Misato some ammo clips. He hung the M4 on his back and drew his SOCOM pistol. Now that the FROGs were beaten, it was time to go looking for Big Boss.

The two moved silently. The third floor was now filled with corpses, and they had already checked the first two. That only left the fourth floor and the roof as alternatives. Misato nodded to Snake and they moved up the stairs, silently making their way to their enemies.

The fourth floor was a vast, empty space. Cleary it had been left unused, only to be filled with people should crisis arise, or maybe left unfinished once the whole complex became obsolete. There were only two long rows of concrete pillars in it, extending through the entire floor, and some old boxes thrown away near the walls. Nothing worth noticing. Gray dominated the scene, with some light entering through the very few windows and the concrete columns casting darker shades of gray as shadow.

Right in the middle of this were standing Big Boss and Ryouji Kaji, patiently waiting for them. Snake and Misato approached them, silently agreeing that stalling could be helpful to give Shinji time to warn NERV of the situation; maybe they would get backup during the fight.

"Big Boss... Still ticking, huh," Snake shook his head at the sight of his former mentor and ally. It was like seeing a ghost come back to life for him: Big Boss looked almost as good as two decades ago, when they fought each other for the first time.

"Unfortunately, Hell had no vacancies," the old man smirked back. He was dressed in his long brown FOXHOUND trench coat, which made impossible to see if he had some armour underneath. A black beret with Outer Heaven's logo made it for his headwear, and he was wearing combat boots. Next to him, Kaji was dressed rather casually, with his usual shirt and pants, although the outlines of a combat vest could be seen underneath the shirt "I've been waiting for this. Ever since I was brought back, I knew we would face each other, sooner or later."

"I've only got one more mission to take, that's all," Snake answered firmly.

"The mission? It will never end, Snake," Big Boss claimed with a lopsided grin "Yours is a path with no end... just like mine."

"Your path ends today," Misato snarled, her voice hoarse.

"Major Katsuragi," Big Boss said, turning to look at her. His eye was shining with might "We meet at last. I've only heard good things about you. Too bad you're just another pawn in Ikari's game... devoid of a purpose of your own."

"What are you talking about?" the woman grunted back.

"So you don't know," Big Boss snarled, a tint of sarcasm present in his words "I'd check what Gendo Ikari is up to if I were you. But it doesn't matter. After today, Outer Heaven will rise again, this time with the ultimate weapon ever made on its side, and there is nothing NERV can do to stop us."

"You mean the Evangelion," Misato said "You plan to seize them for your own use, don't you?"

"Of course," the old man answered "Evangelion is the pinnacle of technology in the east, and the most perfected weapon in existence. It's the perfect deterrent and counter measure for the Metal Gear and non nuclear attacks. With it, yes, nothing will be on our way."

"And what do you plan to do with it?" Snake asked. It was ironic for him: he'd come to Japan from spreading Evangelion technology and war; now, he was stuck doing that against Big Boss "Declare war on the entire world?"

"What's wrong with that? Declaring war on the whole world?" Big Boss smirked "Mine is an organization that lives in the shadows, interfering in conflicts all over the world. It is the only one capable of stopping the madmen that rule this world from controlling even individual will," he grunted, and his tone was filled with passion. Knowing Kaji, Misato guessed his allegiance with Big Boss had something to do with this "I will not allow the world to be a playground for abstract political interests, and petty individual and selfish goals. I will use superior force of arms, to achieve superior force of will," he raised his right hand, clenching it; his fist had the strength of iron "But in the end, Outer Heaven has no home. What we need is a sheepdog to guard our flock, an unstoppable deterrent that will keep us from disappearing, buried under the Patriots and SEELE's old systems. Evangelion will be the valuable trump card, our own key element to spread war and face the world on our own; our way to stop the Patriots and Gendo Ikari from controlling the whole world."

"So long as man exists, there will always be war," Snake said, shaking his head once. His reasoning was shared by everyone present. Big Boss stiffened a bit before answering.

"What matters is equilibrium, a balance between peace and war. Neither can exist alone, but they can't be overdone as well. Too much war and peace shall be non-existent, eradicating order and Government. However, on the other side is complete peace, in which mercenaries will have no use and the people's patriotism will fail without a common enemy. I'll bring peace through war, and war through peace. I'll reshape the mindless masses the Patriots control, and free soldiers like us all! I'll reshape this world gone soft through war!"

"But who the hell do you think you are!" Misato shouted in outrage "How can you think you have the right to cause wars all over the world just to make it fit your own ideals! You're no one to bring war on the whole world!"

"War will come," Big Boss grunted back, harshly "That can't be helped. But my wars will also bring peace. Yes... no matter how wrong, this war will lead us to victory, and life. No matter the means, we will have our liberty."

"No matter the means..." Misato muttered darkly "No matter who you use." Big Boss caught on to the meaning of her words.

"The children? They are just victims of this war," Big Boss shook his head. Misato gasped slightly and the old man gave her a look full of scorn "Yes Major, this war. Your war. The one you send them into. The one you force them into. But they'll make fine soldiers in the next one, when they'll need it as a reason to live."

"They'll have other reasons to live," Misato hissed back, her cheeks red with anger "We need them to win this war. This is their cause now, and they understand it so. We would never cast them aside."

"Really? And what will come later? They're valuable commodities now. But once the war's over, they'll be nothing but dead weight. Why, if not, does your own best pilot hate this place with all his might?" Misato recoiled in shock after hearing those words, suddenly frightened. How could Big Boss know so much about Shinji? Kaji had been expelled from NERV already, and Kirishima couldn't know that much... could she? Her face showed intense alarm and her eyes hardened into pieces of ice "Yes, we know all about him," Big Boss continued "How you use him, how he feels he has no worth save the one you deem him fit to have... compared to you, I'm not such a monster. Once this war is finished, he'll be lucky if he gets the attention of some cheap second hand journalist crazy enough to tell the tale... and you will do nothing for him," his words probed deep within Misato, hurting her: she couldn't help thinking of how many times NERV - she included - had blackmailed Shinji to pilot. Next to her, Snake's expression was a lot calmer: he was used to these speeches, and yet over the years he had found ways to find his own worth without fighting for anyone save himself. He silently vowed to help the children overcome the trauma on their own when the time came "That's why I and Outer Heaven exist, that's the Heaven we seek. We'll no longer be used and thrown away like scum. Your pilots will find a use for themselves under my command. I don't mind if they don't fight for me now. There's no such thing as permanent sides on war..."

He looked up, as if remembering something. Misato couldn't believe Kaji was standing next to him, agreeing with his words. But a part of her was surprised that he was willing to forget how others fought against him and let them join his unit in the future; maybe that was his twisted way of respecting people, and the reason many looked up to him.

"Start a war, fan its flames, create victims... then save them, train them, and feed them back into the battlefield... it works just as well now than it did in the past century," his eye became absent for one second as he mused over his deeds; his voice almost had a dreamy tone when he spoke again "It's a perfectly logical system, and it works. How do you think I achieved so much in such little time? Because all my soldiers and agents live for this. You're no different yourself, are you Major? You only seek revenge against the Angels," Misato looked at Kaji in quiet rage, knowing where Big Boss' knowledge came from this time. The man met her eyes in defiance, although there was no playful smile now: this was a dead serious battle between opponents; their usual quarrels and bickering had no place here "You two are nothing but a nuisance, obstacles in the way of progress. Two fools who keep interfering. It's high time you're put out of your misery. Consider this my last favour to you..."

"I've had enough favours from you," Snake stated lowly, letting his body tense on its own. Back in the battlefield, right where he did what he knew best.

Big Boss was ready. They had stalled enough. His forces were near, he and Kaji had their escape route almost guaranteed now; this was the chance to take out two lethal enemies before they did more wrongs to them; they could very well loose too, but you can't win without taking chances, and both he and Kaji knew it.

Snake felt his body ready. They had stalled enough. Shinji should have returned or warned NERV by now. Now was the time to take Big Boss and that Kaji man out; should they fail, NERV would do the rest. It would be one bloody battle, one they very well not survive, but there was no winning without taking chances, and he and Misato knew it.

A few heartbeats passed. They felt like drums, thundering in the old warehouse.

"I think the odds are fair... Two on two?" Big Boss said with a gracious smile, making a slight hand gesture with his left to point at Kaji and himself and then at the other two; neither present smiled back.

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The Geo Front. They were here. Ayanami was still unconscious, suffering a slight concussion, but Asuka was well awake now, eager to know what would happen next. She had been briefed by Section 2 by now, and she couldn't believe it. Snake and Misato had stayed to duel Big Boss and his forces, two of them to face the unknown. She only hoped NERV or the JSSDF would assist them immediately.

If not, God knows she would do it herself.

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There were four of them. Two on two. All ready to blast the others to oblivion.

They didn't need to communicate to make plans. Instinctively, they already knew who would face who. Misato knew first hand she wasn't anywhere near Big Boss' level: Snake would be the one to face him. Kaji, on the other hand, knew Snake was above him, even considering that Big Boss had instructed him in CQC and his abilities with a handgun were excellent too. But the rogue spy wasn't idiotic enough to face Snake in this condition, and so he knew - much as he regretted - that he would have to fight his own old love.

But what to do now? It was a perfect Mexican standoff. Snake and Big Boss would kill each other, and Kaji and Misato would do the same. None of them was in position to change the outcome. None of them would outspeed their designated rival.

It all happened in an instant. No prior warnings were issued, no yells, no curses, just steely guns being drawn and pointed, ready to send lead to the others' bodies.

Snake was the fastest of them all. And yet, he didn't score the kill. He saw it all in a flashing instant.

Faster than the others, Big Boss drew his Makarov and aimed... at Misato.

The Major, unknowing of this fact, moving to point her USP at Kaji.

Kaji, in front of her, pointing his M9, fast as hell and yet not as fast as Big Boss.

Snake didn't bother to aim. He leapt right and tackled Misato to the ground, sparing her the deadly message of lead Big Boss sent her way. Misato yelped in pain and surprise when they hit the ground, and Snake opened fire with his SOCOM from the floor, aiming both at Big Boss and Kaji. The old man reacted first and pushed Kaji away before jumping sideways himself, coming to hide behind a concrete pillar away from the scene.

Snake saw what Big Boss had done. The Commander had been the only one capable of devising a way to avoid dying in the draw, by pointing at Misato instead of his son. Cunning...

The four split on their designated enemies. Misato quickly stood up and moved right, going southwards to chase Kaji down. Snake and moved northwards, closing in on Big Boss, moving around the pillar the old man was in. He switched the SOCOM for the M4, seeking the advantage through sheer firepower, and as a mean to prepare himself should Big Boss have a Patriot Carbine. But he didn't find Big Boss as he got around the battered concrete column.

A fickle noise at his back triggered all the alarms in Snake's head and he turned around to find Big Boss ready. Both pointed their guns at each other, and Snake innerly sighed with relief at seeing only the Makarov in Big Boss' hands.

"You won't stop me, Snake," Big Boss hissed, although his lips betrayed smugness "Even if you kill me today, events have already been set in motion. My Heaven is a reality again..."

"You use the corpses of others to fund your strength," Snake grunted back "You use fear to keep people in line. You're willing to twist the mind of teenagers to achieve your goals. Yours is no heaven."

"Casualties happen;" Big Boss dismissed him "It's inevitable. The system I created works that way, by using battles and proxy fights in order to keep balance in the world. It's the only thing that will work for soldiers to truly have place in the world, for liberty to be born. I'll bring death and war, but it will be for a noble cause."

"A noble cause, huh. I don't think they'll see it the same. Big Boss, you've become a hypocrite. You're just like the Patriots..."

"But I'm not like you. I have long accepted who I truly am, and what I'm meant to do."

Again, their ideals and beliefs had separated them. Solid Snake and Big Boss were doomed to be enemies for as long as they lived, no matter how close they were in body, mind and spirit.

Big Boss moved like lightning, too fast for Snake to react in time. The clone had forgotten how deft his nemesis was when he wanted to be. He didn't get to point his carbine before Big Boss was in his personal space. That mere action meant battle, and these men were so advanced in the art of fighting that they already knew what would happen should they make certain moves right now. Snake knew it was too late to aim and fire: Big Boss would redirect his gun and then kill him. He also knew kicking was out of the question: Big Boss would grab his leg and slit his throat. A slash with his knife wouldn't be a good thing either, since the old man had been smart enough to go for his right and holding his M4 with one hand was akin to giving Big Boss the Carbine himself.

Snake threw a blow with his Carbine, aiming for Big Boss' mid section. The old man smirked and grabbed the gun, making a sweeping motion and twisting Snake's left wrist until he released his grip on the gun, then wrestling it out of his hands with a strong movement and finally hitting Snake's abdomen with the butt. Knowing that the Carbine would be a hindrance in this flashing fast CQC match, Big Boss tossed it away before grabbing Snake's knife hand and redirecting his son's blow to him, stabbing his shoulder. Snake grunted in pain but his combat vest spared him the injury, although he wouldn't be using that knife anytime soon now. Moving forward, Big Boss did an expert takedown and send Snake flying to the floor, making him land on his back. But his son retaliated with a kick to the neck from his position on the ground, catching Big Boss by surprise and hurting him quite a bit. Snake used that lapse to stand up again and draw his SOCOM pistol, while Big Boss drew his Makarov and CQC knife.

Snake was panting intensely and Big Boss seemed quite well. The situation wasn't good at all for the younger man: he knew he was outmatched here. Fighting on Big Boss' terms would lead him nowhere.

"Nice try..." Big Boss taunted softly, kicking Snake's M4 away "But when it comes to CQC, I've got the upper hand."

Both men made one step backwards and pointed their guns at each other at the same time. They were strikingly fast, but not fast enough to outdo the other.

"Yes..." Big Boss almost moaned "Can you feel it? The thrill... once you've been on the battlefield, tasted the exhilaration, the tension... it all becomes part of you. Once you've awakened the warrior within, it never sleeps again. You only crave for bigger tensions, bigger thrills. Nothing else works for us. The only thing you seek, is war!"

"You're insane!" Snake retorted "This isn't a game, people are dying for this! Violence isn't a sport!"

"Don't try to deny what you feel!" Big Boss taunted back, snarling in mockery "You're just like me, you can't let go of this. Were you any different, you would have long left to live your life as a person... but you can't!" he grunted, his voice going higher; his right fist was raised and clenched hard against his chest, a reminiscent of Liquid Snake's gesture "You can't put down your gun! No matter what excuse you seek, you always find a way to come back to the battlefield... I've given you a reason for that now. I've given you a reason to live."

"I'll find my own!" Snake answered "You and your phony ideals can go to hell!"

Big Boss' face hardened and Snake prepared himself as best as he could. The old man hadn't lost his touch at all: he was as deadly as the last time they fought each other, nearly twenty years ago. Snake forced himself to think outside the box, beyond the boundaries of logic; because there was no way he'd win a CQC fight against Outer Heaven's Commander. He simply wasn't good enough.

Big Boss rushed forward, confident that he would reach Snake before his son pointed his gun at him; he knew Snake's CQC wasn't as good as his, since he had never stopped practicing and his son seemed quite rusty with it. Snake took a step back - Big Boss smirked, predicting where he would point the gun - but then did something strange: he dropped a small object to the ground and closed his eyes, and Big Boss _understood_ just one second before it happened.

A tremendously loud bang was heard, and everything turned blinding white. Big Boss staggered backwards, shaking his head to try and regain some hearing and blinking with his remaining eye to get at least some poor sight, cursing madly for his own stupidity and Snake's goddamned annoying tactics. He had thrown a flashbang grenade right between them just to avoid another CQC match, which he knew he was bound to loose; while the tactic had worked, Snake himself had been too close and he would have been affected some as well, although not as much as Big Boss. The good thing was that he wouldn't be shooting Big Boss right now.

When the old man got his senses working again, Snake was nowhere to be found.

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Kaji knew this was a fight he couldn't properly win. He realized Misato was dead serious in her attempt to stop Big Boss, even if that meant taking her old lover out. But he didn't have the same resolve and cold blood... Misato may be capable of killing him if she believed it right, but he had never been good when it came down to blindly following orders like she did at times. And now he wouldn't kill her, because he knew that Misato was still an unknowing pawn in Ikari's game, and she didn't have to die now. The spy was using a Beretta M9 pistol that only shot tranq. darts and a few stun grenades that would help him if things got messy.

Not the best items when you faced a woman with excellent aim and outstanding capacity to improvise in battle. He needed a way to cover himself better. Sprinting madly, Kaji exited the fourth floor and descended the stairs, going for the confined spaces of the third level to get a chance at ambushing his rival and surviving the fight. He could hear Misato giving chase behind him; Kaji quickly hid behind a few boxes and took aim at the stairs.

Misato appeared and he fired first, nailing her right foot with a tranq. dart. He didn't have time to see if the dart had any effect before a retaliatory rain of bullets forced him to run away, going deeper into the empty rooms and corridors with Misato giving chase. Several bullets went past him, and Kaji went down to the floor to avoid getting tagged by them, jumping into an empty kitchen out of Misato's line of sight.

Misato moved swiftly in pursuit of her old lover. The thought that this man had helped the ninja and Ocelot infiltrate NERV fuelled her rage, motivating her. She had to end this madness once and for all. Should she take Kaji out, she could help Snake deal with Big Boss and they could end the war right here.

She entered the kitchen Kaji had jumped into with her gun ready. The man should be here somewhere, and Misato made sure to sweep the room with her gun before venturing further. There. A large aluminium oven would make for the only cover he could have sought to escape her. Misato walked right, making an arc around the oven, ready to take her old lover out. But she found nothing as she rounded the oven.

Inexplicably, Kaji suddenly was at her right, slamming into her with the force of a raging bull. He quickly swatted Misato's USP away, leaving the woman unarmed. Misato countered swiftly, determined to stop Kaji from stepping back and using his guns on her: she threw a hard punch to his right temple, seeking a knockout hit.

Kaji parried the blow with an almost lazy move of his right hand, and then grabbed Misato's outstretched arm with both hands, driving her forward with a mighty pull, only to finish slamming his knee in her gut. Misato gasped silently, with not enough air to groan in pain. Keeping a firm grasp on her arm, Kaji flipped Misato on her back, making her land with a loud thud and hurt her back pretty bad.

Calm as death, Kaji stood above the fallen woman. Misato took a few moments to regain her breath and spoke painfully.

"CQC? I guess Big Boss gave you a few pointers..." she snarled with a furious scowl, panting heavily "Did they teach you how to stab people in the back too, or was that something you learned by yourself?"

"Wake up, Misato," Kaji answered, his voice as serious as hers "NERV is lying to you. You're a pawn to Commander Ikari, and everyone's going to suffer if that man isn't stopped. I'm sorry this had to happen, but I can't let him destroy everything for the sake of his plans."

"Funny, that sounds almost like me and Big Boss," Misato retorted, saving Kaji's words about Commander Ikari for later "I wonder what Asuka will say once she finds out you've been double-crossing us..." a tiny spark flashed in Kaji's eyes and Misato could have sworn she saw sorrow in his face, but there was nothing but a stony look in him a second later.

"Don't bring Asuka into this," Kaji irately said as Misato sat up again "I'm doing this for her too. If you want to know the reasons, look into NERV's dirty secrets and you'll find out the truth."

"I don't feel like playing your little spy games anymore," Misato grunted; she felt fine, her talk with Kaji had let her regain her breath and now she could keep on fighting "And I doubt Asuka will care much about your reasons when she learns you betrayed her as well," seizing her chance, Misato rushed Kaji, closing in on him as fast as she could. He was better at hand to hand combat, but a fight was always an unpredictable thing and she wouldn't miss any opportunities this time.

Pfft!

A dart suddenly hit her left leg and Misato cursed as she was forced to drop to one knee. Kaji had taken one step backwards and shot his Beretta at her legs, leaving her defenceless again. She removed the dart as quickly as possible, but it was too late and she knew it. Her leg started to feel numb, leaving her forced to limp in order to move around.

The sound of rushed footsteps made her aware of Kaji's plan. That bastard was going to run away! He wouldn't even stay to fight for his own men; typical from a coward like him that left her and everyone behind for his own reasons... Misato's entire self was filled with hatred at the man and the way he had been plotting against them all, against his old lover, against his allies and even his former ward. She rolled on the ground and grabbed her USP, reloading it as fast as possible. Misato fired several shots but her increasing dizziness made her miss her mark, allowing Kaji to flee the place. Focusing all her energies into this one task, Misato made an effort and stood up, finding it easier to remain standing now. The woman quickly followed the sound of Kaji's retreating steps, going downstairs to the second floor. She aimed her USP, trying to see if he was going to ambush her - although deep down she knew he wouldn't do such thing, since he already had the chance to kill her - and to see if she could stop him, should he be in the ground floor's storage room. However, Kaji was nowhere she could see.

Cursing silently, Misato descended to the first floor, walking past the corpses of the FROGs she and Snake had killed earlier, not entirely sure where she was going but following a hunch that told her Kaji should have a way to leave the place nearby.

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"C-Commander!" Aoba gasped in his terminal, not fully believing what appeared on the screens "One of our satellites has just received an image from Goteiba! It's..."

"It can't be!" Fuyutsuki exclaimed, baffled. Just like Aoba, he was dumbfounded with Outer Heaven's last manoeuvre.

"Yes," Campbell said, standing next to the Sub Commander "I was expecting something like this. God help us... Metal Gear is coming."

Aoba relayed his images to the large screen that loomed over the Command Center, displaying the newest threat NERV would have to face now: two enormous Metal Gear RAY ran across the country, nearing the warehouse at terrible speed. Next to them, several Metal Gear Gekko kept up with long jumps, forming a deadly convoy that stopped at nothing.

"They must have fooled the JSSDF's radars somehow..." Ritsuko theorized, trying to come up with a feasible explanation of the facts "To make those things appear as tanks or other heavy units..."

"Either that or they bought the right people at the JSSDF," Campbell said, shaking his head "If this keeps up, neither Snake nor Misato will be able to do anything, Commander. You need to send reinforcements."

"Call the JSSDF immediately!" Fuyutsuki ordered, his voice strong for a man that had been a college professor not much longer than a decade ago.

"No can do, sir!" Aoba shrieked, desperate "We can't get through! The call is being rejected!"

"Have they jammed our communications?" Campbell asked Ritsuko with a frown.

"That's impossible," the blonde answered "Not without a major operation. The problem must be on the JSSDF's side."

'Of course,' Campbell mused 'They went for the weakest link... that, or Big Boss managed to buy the JSSDF's silence for now. Who knows who's an ally and who's an enemy in these times?

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Big Boss hadn't had a firefight like this one in years. It was a duel on par to the one he had with Snake in the original Outer Heaven, the one he had with The Boss in 1964 and his first gunfight with Ocelot during the same mission. It wasn't everyday that someone stepped up and duelled him on equal terms.

The same could be said for Snake. This was a battle with a man that was his match in every way; Snake was a master at everything even remotely related to warfare, and that made him deadlier than everyone, capable of facing and beating men as powerful as Liquid Snake, Ocelot or Gray Fox. But Big Boss was the same as he, a demon come from hell itself ready to fight in any conditions and terrain. This was a fight between equals, men ready to go to the very end to beat the other, and ready to use any trick in order to win.

Staying still meant suicide, and Snake knew it. Whereas he was more nimble on his feet and faster to fire, Big Boss was steadier and his aim could be said to outmatch even his'. He'd get a bullet to the head should he stay still and stick to just shooting the SOCOM. As Big Boss fired the Makarov, he made an agile flip and angled his body to avoid the gunfire, landing on his feet and retaliating with several shots of his own. Big Boss quickly moved behind cover, leaving them in a stalemate.

Big Boss was starting to feel the effects of fatigue in his old body. He pushed those concerns away with a deft stroke of his massive will. There was no time for weakness. He peeked and didn't spot Snake anywhere. He knew he could find him should he put his senses into it, but concentrating on that could be detrimental, should Snake choose to attack then.

"Come on out!" he taunted to the void. A flash of blue betrayed Snake's bandanna, and Big Boss' eye narrowed as he moved out of cover, pointing the Makarov at his son's head. Snake ducked low and avoided the bullet, raising his SOCOM to counterattack.

Snake aimed higher, though, and a precise shot hit a pipe right next to Big Boss, liberating steam and burning the old man, confusing his frame and making him appear as a dark, looming silhouette in the fog. Several rounds made their way to the fog, all aimed at the silhouette that was Big Boss, and a pained yell told Snake he had hit him at least once. But a vengeful bullet came back from the fog, and Snake had to roll aside and loose his chance to end the fight in order to keep his head intact.

His thigh was bleeding. Big Boss quickly applied a compress to the wound, hissing with pain. No matter. The wound wasn't enough to incapacitate him, and he was tough enough to keep going no matter the pain. This would not slow him down now. He had a fight to win.

Panting, Snake peeked out of cover to see if he could spot Big Boss. Using the hiatus in the fight, he silently moved to the next pillar to try and surprise Big Boss in their next draw. However, he didn't think that would be of much use. Suddenly Big Boss appeared again, from behind another pillar, two to the left from the one Snake had been expecting him to be. The brown haired man quickly matched his rival's moves, pointing the SOCOM with blinding speed.

Big Boss was faster, though, and he fired first, taking aim in an instant and sending a bullet straight to Snake's forehead. The younger man rolled aside, never loosing his cool, and quickly answered with a quick shot that clipped Big Boss on the shoulder. The Commander gasped in pain before shooting Snake in the shin, causing the clone to grunt and disappear behind another pillar. Panting, Big Boss sought cover to try and patch himself up as best as possible. He should have ended the fight right there, but Snake had been too fast for him.

He wasn't exactly sure when did their styles grow apart like this. Snake had been made to be Big Boss, purposefully created by the Patriots to reproduce what Big Boss was in every way, and yet they were different. Despite the fact that Snake shared Big Boss' DNA with as much precision as possible, despite the fact that they had similar military careers up to the point when they joined FOXHOUND - FOX in Big Boss' case - despite the fact that Big Boss himself had taught Snake his secrets and techniques, they were still different. Maybe some other genes that were dormant in Big Boss manifested in Snake, maybe a part of his Mongolian blood was awakened in his son, or it may be that deep down they didn't have the same spirit, which Big Boss knew first hand existed. Still, the core of the issue was that Snake had beaten him in the past. Twice. And Big Boss knew deep down that there was no plausible excuse for that: the first time, Snake had been a rookie in his first FOXHOUND mission, completely unused to the tasks and feats demanded of him; the second, he had been unarmed and exhausted after a lengthy hand to hand fight with none other than Gray Fox. And yet, he had managed to beat the man that was supposedly the greatest soldier that had ever existed. Big Boss had mused and thought of that ever since he had been reawakened, thinking it over and over again until finding where had he gone wrong, which mistake should have been avoided in order to survive and win.

Loud bangs were heard and Big Boss ducked, hearing the bullets go by missing his head by millimetres. Christ, the last one literally made the codec in his ear ring with static. He could feel his ear burning in the bullet's hot wake. Big Boss turned around and fired a few shots himself, his aim deadly, although Snake managed to roll and get covered behind a ragged concrete pillar.

In the end Big Boss had come to accept that there hadn't been a small mistake to blame for his defeat. Snake had been the better fighter, and the rightful winner. He hadn't let his guard drop, there hadn't been a blow of misfortune; he just had been beaten by a superior fighter. And so, Big Boss trained.

In the following months after his defeat, he trained to become better, to surpass himself. Old age was nothing to him; what he lacked in stamina he compensated with strength and speed. He had been rebuilt with parts of Liquid and Solidus, and the surgery had been extensive but successful: he was a little younger than his eighty years told him should be. That, combined with his unyielding will, was enough to make him deadly no matter how old. Big Boss knew he wouldn't be as sharp in a decade, but he could very well handle himself now, and he had been preparing for this moment ever since he awoke. Trying his best to be ready the day he found himself facing Snake again.

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"Shinji, where are you taking me?" Mana asked.

Shinji felt a tingle run up his spine at the sound of her voice. It was a sad tone, defeated by the circumstances, resigned to whatever fate may come, and the misery that wouldn't make itself missed for long. Hearing her sweet voice utter such sad words with such a sorrowful tone made his insides twist with pity; it was heartache to hear her talk that way.

They were almost in the outskirts of the city now. The shores of Owadara were visible in the distance, and the seas behind, an endless extension of blue that went to the horizon.

"Away," Shinji answered. Mana looked at him, really looked at him, and saw that gentle side of him, so strong in its compassion, shine again. Away? He was taking her away? After what she'd done to him? She almost felt sad, her guilt striking deep within herself at his nobility. But Shinji's eyes had a steely resolve she had never seen before. Maybe this was the side of him that killed Angels, which sacrificed everything for other people's sake.

"Away?"

"Away."

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Big Boss heard the pin of a grenade clatter on the floor and knew what was going to happen. Peeking out of cover - right now Snake wouldn't be firing the SOCOM - Big Boss only needed a glance to see another grenade make its way to him. He shot at it with an almost reflexive move of his hand, and a flash of white told him this had been another stun grenade, but the instants he lost nailing the object cost him a punishing storm of gunfire from his son. Snake aimed and hit Big Boss' chest, driving him back with the powerful rounds of his handgun. Even as he was hit, Big Boss fired back and hit Snake's left elbow, blowing the protective pad of his suit away. He used the momentum to roll backwards and hide behind a column, panting intensely.

Big Boss' combat vest was ruined. He normally didn't use these things, but today's battle had been an exception. Outer Heaven's Commander wasn't stupid enough to go into battle with Solid Snake without any kind of protection, and his foresight had saved his life.

They were tied. It was too close a match to call a clear winner. Each time one of them peeked to take a shot, the other did the same and they always managed to nullify each other's efforts. Lean out to aim would do no good to him. So Big Boss decided to go for another tactic.

Ricochet fire.

Big Boss had seen Ocelot do that with a Makarov in the sixties, and if the Russian gunslinger was capable of such a technique then so was he. It was all a matter of coordination and of having a profound understanding of the gun in his hands and the round that it would soon fire. With this, yes, he would take Snake by surprise and beat him. His son couldn't match this tactic with his powerful SOCOM handgun.

Snake couldn't see Big Boss. He knew the old man was right across him hiding behind the other row of columns, but he couldn't see him. His shin hurt like hell, although the reinforced guard in his boots spared him what otherwise would have been a crippling injury. But blood still oozed from the wound, and he wasn't as fast now as he should. Peeking around the pillar he was hiding behind of, Snake looked for a course of action, anything to do to take the initiative before Big Boss did.

The sound of a gun being pointed made him aware that he was too late. Snake quickly hid behind the pillar, hearing Big Boss' Makarov thunder and open fire. Snake heard the bullet pass and hit the wall in front of him, only to - the man couldn't believe it - return and hit the pillar just a few centimeters away from his head. There was no time to be surprised; Snake's mind quickly reformulated all battle plans based on this latest development, all while Big Boss kept doing something deemed impossible for anyone that wasn't called Revolver Ocelot. Snake rolled aside, going out of cover just while Big Boss' last bullet hit the place where he had been a moment before. Pointing his handgun, Snake opened fire as fast as possible just to keep Big Boss from shooting at him. The old man quickly stopped firing and hid behind his column; but what he did then only made his son aware of the ruinous capacity this man had to make others suffer. Keeping his back to Snake, Big Boss fired the Makarov to the wall right in front of him: the bullet hit the concrete wall and bounced back, straight at Snake's body.

He was hit. The bullet hit him just left of his stomach; the combat vest helped a lot, but he was still hit. Snake grunted in pain and lost balance, going to a roll while Big Boss fired again, still not showing himself. Snake's roll spared him a shot to the head, and he tried to hide as fast as possible. Another bullet destroyed his suit's reinforced shoulder padding and left a hole in the flowing straps of his bandanna. Snake took cover behind another column and a shot grazed the concrete, sending sparks and tiny pieces of debris around. Across the large room, Big Boss went out of cover and took aim, seeking a decisive shot; Snake had been finally outmatched.

His entire being shouting at him to move away, Snake jumped aside, going for the floor, and Big Boss' last shot hit the pillar right where Snake's forehead had been instants before. Snake fell heavily, hitting the ground with a loud thud of his Kevlar vest, well out of cover and into Big Boss' sight. The older fighter turned his head to look at him, and the moments when he redirected his right hand to aim straight at his enemy were the longest in Snake's life. Still laying on the ground, Snake aimed as fast as possible, which even then felt impossibly slow, and fired his SOCOM handgun just when Big Boss fired his Makarov.

Neither of them ever knew what exactly happened then. A loud bang was heard, and Big Boss' Makarov was hit with Snake's shot, while the older warrior's bullet went amiss, maybe even hit by Snake's heavier and more powerful round. None of them ever made sure of that, keeping that question for as long as they lived. But neither ever forgot that for one instant, Solid Snake and Big Boss shot at each other with no cover whatsoever, and survived to tell the tale.

Big Boss' right hand recoiled from the impact, throwing him off balance for a second, a disastrous thing in a battle this tight; but Snake used that second to regain his footing and run for cover. Twelve shots he had, and that last one had been the twelfth.

He hid behind a pillar and reloaded, while on the other side Big Boss did the exact same. Once again, mankind's two deadliest warriors had tied in their duel.

Snake tried to feel his torso. The tight suit and combat vest were helping, but he was still injured. The suit was designed to keep the wearer from bleeding out, but he was weakened by the last match nevertheless. He quickly applied a compress to the wound to ease the pain a bit.

Snake knew it was time to end this. That last encounter had been too much. He had to go for something new, or else he very well might not live to see a new day. The chance that Big Boss may get some backup was still possible, and he hadn't heard anything from Misato in a while. It wouldn't be good to leave her alone for long: the woman had skills, but wouldn't be capable of facing Outer Heaven's forces on her own. Entrusting his life to his stealth capacities, Snake dashed out of cover and disappeared between the pillars, going for what would be his last tactic in the fight.

Big Boss ignored where Snake was. That in itself was very bad, really bad. The old man strained his senses to try and spot his son, and yet he couldn't find him. His finger itched over the trigger, wishing to unleash another storm of gunfire over his enemy. Big Boss closed his remaining eye, and listened...

Behind him!

The old man turned around just in time to avoid getting his neck snapped by the Snake. How had he managed to sneak up on him, something that even The Boss had been unable to do, he never got to understand. But Snake had done it, and was now throwing a furious kick right at his gun hand.

The kick was aimed right even in such a momentous situation, and carried enough strength to hurt Big Boss' fingers and bend his wrist enough to make him loose the gun. The Makarov flew away, hitting the ground with a loud clack, and Big Boss drew his knife in an instant, but Snake rushed forward and hit Big Boss' hip with his shoulder, tackling the Commander. Big Boss fell, completely baffled at his son's brawlish manoeuvres. Those weren't CQC moves. Snake had realized he was at a disadvantage and turned to other styles instead. It was the kind of crazy stunt that could only work for men like them in battle, and what made them so dangerous to face; they were truly unpredictable. Big Boss grunted and retaliated with Snake's own medicine, using a Karate sweeping kick to send his clone to the floor. But Snake reacted swiftly and rolled backwards, away from Big Boss so that the old man wouldn't be able to use CQC in time and nearing the Makarov to take that option from his enemy as well. Big Boss didn't hesitate for one second, leaping left instantly, going for the dented concrete pillars to seek cover from the soon to be hellish storm of lead Snake would send his way.

Snake was up just one moment later. He chased Big Boss, following him with his trained senses, seeking a clear shot on the old man to finish him off once and for all. Big Boss was running through the large pillars, seeking to obstruct Snake's line of sight, and Snake gave chase like a madman; he had the upper hand now, having won their latest duel, and now was the time to end this.

Big Boss suddenly made a dashingly fast sprint towards the stairs, hoping to throw Snake off balance with this last manoeuvre and seeking to disappear and erase Snake's advantage by turning the fight into a stealth match. But Snake turned around with a speed that matched the animal he was named after, and pointed his handgun at the retreating form of Big Boss with the coldness of an executor.

He had Big Boss in his sights. The old man was unarmed, running away from the battle, hoping to find better terrain to nullify Snake's edge. But his desperate retreat had been his final mistake, one his son wouldn't let pass. One bullet should be enough to do the trick and send Big Boss back to the pit where he came from.

Click.

The gun was jammed. Snake wanted to curse louder than ever before in his entire life; he hadn't had the time to make proper maintenance to his guns since he had been hired by NERV, and it showed. The SOCOM had failed him in his time of greatest need, and the only one to blame was Snake himself. It was almost mockery from fate.

He saw Big Boss disappear in the stairs, going upwards, seeking the roof of the warehouse. The old man was cornering himself there, but Snake wouldn't take any chances. He was sure Big Boss had an ace up his sleeve, and so he gave chase with careful moves.

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She was right. Misato was now in the first floor, and she could hear the powerful engines of an aircraft nearby. This had to be Kaji's extraction point. She needed to keep focus and find him, keeping in mind that he could call for backup and this could very well end with her dead or captured. Misato needed her full concentration more than ever.

This was quite bad considering that the drugs Kaji's dart had pumped into her were kicking in and she felt quite numb. With any luck the dart hadn't hit any vital spot and she would be okay; she didn't want to think of the other possibilities...

The sound came from outside, so Misato followed and left the warehouse. She was now on the other side, the farthest from the highway where she and Snake had come from. In here, the complex ended with the hills and woods that surrounded Tokyo 3. Several trees cast some shade in the otherwise sunny day. Some old jeeps and trucks remained as leftovers of the JSSDF's presence here years ago. An empty watchtower loomed above the trees and small buildings; Misato watched closely before venturing ahead, having found the tower empty. But the sound of the engines sounded closer than ever before.

There was an airfield just north of the watchtower. Misato crouched and approached silently, careful not to make any noise and keeping to the shadows as well. She hid behind a small concrete stall and peeked at the airfield with her gun ready.

There he was. Kaji was walking through the airfield with calm, yet hurried steps. But he wasn't alone. A whole unit of FROG troopers had joined him, and they were all walking towards a VTOL stationed on the heliport, ready to take off and leave the place. Misato wanted cursed in silence. So many of them... there was little she would be able to do now. Watching was her only choice.

Her yes widened when she realized the FROGs weren't escorting Kaji alone. Walking next to him, there were two figures she was sadly familiar with. A young man that was Shinji's best friend, the tall and lean Touji Suzuhara. And a nerdy looking man that not long ago was one of the head technicians in NERV, Makoto Hyouga.

So Big Boss had been recruiting and helping people defect?

It hurt her to see two people whom she and Shinji had considered close defect to the enemy's side. Three if she took Makoto into account.

The VTOL's side door opened and the FROGs led the group towards it. Taking a better look, Misato saw something that shocked her to the core. Revolver Ocelot was in the aircraft. Misato would never forget the desperate fight she had with him, and how close she came to dying at his hands.

Maybe she could shoot him from a distance and rid the world of his treacherous ways and deadly revolvers. He was at about fifty meters from her; Misato's USP pistol's maximum effective range was around that number. It would be a close call, but it was worth the risk...

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"In there, kid," Ocelot nodded to the young Suzuhara. He signalled with his head to a small bed inside the VTOL where Mika Suzuhara lay hooked to some machines. Touji went to her side while Hyouga and Kaji entered the aircraft with the FROGs escorting them. It was then that Ocelot felt a prick on his body.

"What the..!" the old man said before his left shoulder erupted in blood "Urgh!" it didn't take him long to realize he'd been hit, with a small calibre gun by the look of things.

Misato cursed silently. She had aimed for the head, but the distance had spoiled the shot.

But Ocelot made use of his ruinous capacity and drew a revolver with his right hand, pointing and firing all while he fell to the ground.

"Ahrgh!" Misato yelled in pain as her left shoulder was hit with a revolver slug. Ocelot had matched her shot all while he fell down, in a mere instant. Blood started to flow from the wound, and the pain was overwhelming. Her left arm was left incapacitated by the bullet, and that, combined with the drugs Kaji had pumped into her earlier started to make Misato feel weak and faint.

"Major Katsuragi!" Ocelot growled, standing up again and clutching his left shoulder "How kind of you to join us! This is the second time we meet... and the last one, too!"

A simple signal with his hand was all the FROGs needed to go after the purple haired woman, while Misato cursed and stumbled to run away.

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Asuka got to the Command Center while a heated argument was taking place. The JSSDF wasn't responding, and it was up to NERV to solve the problem. Thing was, NERV wasn't the military and didn't have the power to face Outer Heaven without any backup from the armed forces. But her eyes were glued to the screen as soon as she saw what appeared in them: several monstrous robots were travelling the country, approaching the warehouse the fight was taking place in at top speed. It was the first time she ever saw the West's mechas.

"What... what are those?" she gasped, shocked beyond belief.

Campbell was the only one that heard her.

"Asuka...those are Metal Gear," Campbell said gravely, his voice heavy with concern. The redhead felt a slight shiver at the last words, for the first time hearing them referred to a present scenario.

"Mein Gott... Metal Gear," Asuka was almost speechless.

Meanwhile, Fuyutsuki was in the middle of an argument to decide what course of action should be taken to deal with the momentous situation. It was a place he'd never expected to be in.

"The city's main defenses and auto cannons are under our control," Ritsuko was saying "And we repaired them in the lull after the last attack. We could destroy the whole complex with them."

"If we do that, Misato and Snake will both die!" Aoba jumped in, horrified at the woman's coldness.

"There's no one else to send," Ritsuko said "And no other measures to take."

"Yes there is," Asuka intervened at last, determined. Unlike Shinji, she wasn't bothered in the slightest by the stares of all present "You can send my Unit 02."

There was a lull in the conversation for the first time in a long while before Fuyutsuki reacted.

"Impossible! We can't risk the Evangelion in a battle against human foes! We will send our own armed forces as reinforcements!

"But they will achieve nothing!" Asuka countered, manners and the proper way to address a superior gone to hell "What will we send anyway, Section 2? Some VTOLs? Against Big Boss and a whole Metal Gear strike force?"

She had a point. Section 2 had been unable to deal with any of the new threats: there was nothing NERV had that could face today's threat with any chance of success.

"What else can stand up to a Metal Gear?" Asuka pressed the advantage, cornering the old man with her words "Commander, without the JSSDF's assistance, I'm the only one here that can do something about this!"

The huge burden of the choice fell on the Sub Commander's back, leaving everything around him in tense silence as he pondered in short seconds about what to do. The man's mind was in turmoil:

According to Commander Ikari's scenario, Soryu and Unit 02 were expendable. Neither was necessary for the larger scheme of things, and they were scheduled to fall along the Angel wars. The loss of either pilot or EVA wasn't important. But the failure was.

Should Soryu fail, it might be the end for NERV. Without SEELE's assistance, no one would back NERV up if they screwed up against Outer Heaven. The Government would ban them for their incompetence, and they could loose control of the Evangelion, thus being effectively taken out of the fight and of any important role at all. It would be the end for them. Right now, NERV's reputation was something they couldn't afford to loose.

But on the other hand, one Evangelion Unit was more than enough to handle things. Soryu had been extensively trained as well, which meant she wouldn't hesitate in the face of human foes. And right now, both Solid Snake and Misato Katsuragi were valuable assets in this war, not to mention the possibility that with Unit 02's assistance they might have a shot at capturing Outer Heaven's Commander, thus scoring a major victory in the war.

It was a dangerous gamble. One with a high chance of failure.

"Get the city into battle configuration," Fuyutsuki finally said, eliciting a gasp from all present "And prepare Unit 02 for battle. Second Child, go help Major Katsuragi and Solid Snake. We're counting on you."

Asuka grinned. That's what she wanted to hear.

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**Author Notes 2:**

Phew, and so this chapter ends! It was incredibly complex to write. And still, I left a lot of stuff out, which will appear in the next update, like Snake and Big Boss fighting bare handed and Raiden arriving to the battle. Nothing but action here! I believe this chapter is a first in that regard. I hope it was of your liking. As usual, anything you'd like to say just leave a review and I'll answer swiftly.

By the way, Big Boss' speech before the battle wasn't entirely made up by me. Most of it was based on his words in Zanzibar Land, the events which take place in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. I believe they show how far he had gone into madness by then, and how his original goals had been lost along the way. In that sense, he's as much of a monster as Liquid was, although the interesting thing is that he still has a lot of good in him. It's up to the reader to choose which side to see.

Devil Boss


	13. Confrontation, Part II

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own any of the characters from the Evangelion and Metal Gear Solid universes; they belong to Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, GAINAX Studios, Hideo Kojima, Shoji Shinkawa, Kojima Productions and Konami Studios.

**Author Notes:**

I'm back! Author Notes:

I'm back! I know I said that I would update before New Year, but what can I say, the holidays were too much of a temptation to me and a powerful drunken stupor isn't exactly appropriate when it comes to writing skills. However, I did manage to write quite a bit, a lot more than what I'll post here. Truth be told, this chapter was so large that I cut a lot of stuff from it, which means I'll update really fast next time. The battle continues here, with a lot of parties getting involved, which only means more action. Expect the next chapter to be updated within exactly one week, and please comment about what you thought of this one!

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**Chapter 11: Confrontation, Part II**

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His steps made more sound than what he'd like to admit. Big Boss was tired, and he didn't have the capacity to move in complete silence he would have had otherwise. The old man moved up the stairs, climbing to the roof, leaving Snake's floor behind. But he knew his son wouldn't take long in giving chase.

Outmatched again. Big Boss wanted to hit himself. He should have foreseen Snake would do something reckless to outmanoeuvre him. It wouldn't be the first time. But even though Snake had managed to beat him, the fight was far from over. Big Boss wasn't a man easily defeated, and it would take more than a lost shootout to stop him.

A rumble echoed through the entire city, and the ground itself trembled. The warehouse he was standing over shook slightly, its old rusty walls wailing, replicating the tremor on the city. Big Boss wobbled momentarily as the buildings on the city shuddered and started to descend into the ground, the massive steel colossuses disappearing from sight. Little by little did Tokyo 3's landscape start to resemble a plain rather than the usual skyscrapers background it used to be.

Big Boss recognized this. It was the defensive configuration of Tokyo 3, a clever idea for the fortress city to minimize collateral damage during the destructive battles that took place in it. The city's buildings descended beneath ground and left room for the Evangelions to operate. It only happened when there was an Angel attack. But there wasn't one now, was it? He kept a constant link with his people, and no radars showed any Angel coming... which meant that this was being done because of him! The old warrior frowned as he saw the buildings recede completely and the city be replaced with reinforced steel plates of grey on the ground. This was being done because of him... even considering the fact that NERV and the JSSDF would probably want to keep this secret, they were willing to safeguard the whole city now. Which meant that they would be sending the Evangelion against him. And they would only do that if they detected his own Metal Gear coming.

Big Boss smirked. It looked like his Metal Gear units would be facing NERV's Evangelion. This almost resembled a robots anime. Not that he watched those, of course.

Snake's feet didn't make any noise when he ran, but Big Boss could certainly hear him, no matter how silent the man was.

"Boss," Snake grunted, cornering the old man.

He wouldn't pretend to be sneaky against Big Boss now. The old man was trapped. Big Boss turned around and Snake pointed his SOCOM at him.

"Why bother?" Big Boss snarled with a smug smirk "You don't have what it takes to kill me."

Snake didn't bother to deny it. He had taken a wild guess and he'd been wrong: Big Boss had heard Snake's jammed gun click, even from a distance in such a tense situation. Snake knew deep down that Big Boss had been aware of that all along, but chose to bluff with his gun anyway, should he be mistaken. But Big Boss hadn't lost his impressively keen senses, and knew that Snake had no way to kill him with the SOCOM now. Snake sheathed the handgun and saw that the city had entered its battle mode.

"It's over, Boss," Snake grunted, shaking his head "NERV has detected you. They'll be sending the Evangelion Units," he actually had no idea as to why would NERV send the EVAs, which looked like overkill to capture Big Boss, but he wouldn't be saying that now "You can't escape. You can't win."

"Can't I?" Big Boss grinned, a smug face that made Snake's insides twist with worry. The old man was never truly beaten, and every time he smiled like that something really bad happened "But this was my plan all along."

A powerful growl thundered in the distance. Snake turned around, facing west, and saw far away several forms jumping in the air, gaining ground with tremendous speed. He didn't need a closer look to know what they were: he'd recognize the Gekko anywhere. But if Big Boss had called Gekko, then that meant he'd prepared to have a bloody battle with NERV... and that meant there would be Metal Gears here soon, too. Ready to face NERV's best asset.

Snake turned around and Big Boss read his conclusions in his eyes.

"The battle is about to start..." Big Boss muttered, looking up, taking everything in with an almost melancholic expression "There can only be one Snake, and one Big Boss..."

Neither of them spoke for a second. Their eyes met.

"Now make me feel alive again! Show me Snake! Show me what you can really do!"

Snake got into a fighting stance with determined moves. Big Boss awaited him, knife ready. A small breeze ran between them, and hell was unleashed.

Snake rushed forward, launching into a furious set of kicks that no man could parry without backpedalling. Jumping in the air, he executed two fast front kicks which Big Boss could only parry with his hands instead of using his blade. The old man countered with a furious knife swing with his left hand, but Snake ducked under the blade and spin kicked his nemesis in his right ribs, causing Big Boss to gasp in pain.

Spinning again, Snake aimed a high left roundhouse kick at Big Boss' face, only to trick him and kick low, right behind his knee, making the old man loose his balance for a second, enough for his cloned son to hit him straight in the chest with a vicious kick. Caught off balance, Big Boss fell backwards, hitting the floor with his back; but the old man was cunning, not to be easily beaten, and instead of giving his son the chance to end the fight he simply rolled backwards, coming to a crouch a few feet away from Snake.

A quick glance as he stood up told Big Boss that the time for elegance was over. Snake was unleashed, determined to erase him once and for all, and he wouldn't be stopping; it was that same demonic drive Big Boss had that his son had inherited with augmented force. Big Boss made a flick with his wrist and the knife flew straight at Snake's head; the younger man ducked, going to a forward roll to avoid falling to the floor. Big Boss received him with a powerful slash kick in the chest as soon as he was in range, making him stagger backwards in pain; the old man gave him two lightning fast punches in the face and threw a front kick to his gut; however, Snake parried the last one, grabbing his leg with his left hand, trapping it against his own body and punching Big Boss in the face with his right hand. Still keeping a firm grip in his enemy's leg, Snake punched him in the face, almost crushing Big Boss' old body. But the Commander retaliated, elbowing him in the face with fury, and then one more time, and one more after that. Snake released him and his rival brutally kicked him in the stomach, making him double over in pain. Big Boss finished the round with a turning back kick to the chest, knocking Snake to the floor.

Solid Snake's world was pain right now. He couldn't understand how in hell was Big Boss so strong in his old age. But he was, and the younger man realized this wasn't a fight he could take lightly. Big Boss was a master of hand to hand combat as well, definitely among the deadliest of the world, and he hadn't lost his edge with the years. Snake stood up with a pained grunt - truth was, he wasn't so young either - and faced his nemesis with a frown. Big Boss outmatched him in CQC, and a shootout could go to any of them, but he knew hand to hand was his strong suit in this fight. He was younger and could take more damage. He had the advantage in terms of stamina, too. Big Boss, he could tell, had probably focused on strength and speed in his training. That was the only explanation for his impressive fighting prowess. But his overcompensation in strength left him with less stamina, and sooner or later that would show in the fight. Yes, he could take him.

Heavy breathing spoke of how tired both men were. They had been fighting for a long time by now, and the stress was getting to them at last. Both enjoyed that in a way, but it also made their bodies more fragile after a long time in combat.

"BOSS!" Snake roared, his voice strained with adrenaline.

"SNAKE!" Big Boss hissed through clenched teeth, hatred making itself present in him.

They moved as one. Both charged with a right hand punch, and their fists met right between them, nullifying each other's blow and leaving their hands numb with pain; but they were trained and bred to forsake all pain and always move on. Both launched into a combination of low, mid and high kicks which invariably found a perfect counterpart from the other; a right hand punch hit Big Boss' ribs while his own right fist hit Snake's side as well; a left punch met the exact same results on both sides. They were synchronized, as if the two were parts of the same being, neither able to outdo the other.

Panting, both men stood ready. One step away for each man, and their guards kept high.

Big Boss made a sudden move and a syringe appeared in his right hand. Snake took one moment to recognize the item: it was a syringe that suppressed nanomachine activity and gave the body a boost of adrenaline among other drugs. To put it simply, it restored the subject's body energy and psyche reserves to the max again. Which made Snake's stamina edge utterly useless. Snake figured it was logical for Big Boss to carry this kind of things with him, since it made him capable of going toe to toe with any younger man with no problems. A nice answer for his old age disadvantage.

"Graah!" Big Boss growled harshly, injecting himself with the syringe. The small object fell to the floor, and Big Boss threw his long Outer Heaven coat away with a powerful roar, the brown garment flying away and falling from the rooftop the fighters were in. Big Boss roared again, his energy renewed and his resolve augmented, and he rushed Snake with doubled fury.

Snake's entire focus was on parrying and dodging Big Boss' sharp fists for several seconds. He started with a left and right combination, followed by two sharp hooks that hit Snake's ribs, then a brutal right hand swing that passed through Snake's raised arm and a backhand punch that finally left him unprotected. Snake staggered backwards, shaken by the onslaught, and Big Boss gave him a cruel left punch in the gut that took the air from him. As Snake almost fell to the floor, Big Boss threw a brutal right punch with all his might and carrying all his weight behind it. It was the kind of blow that would kill even a man like his son.

But Snake made a deft sidestep and let Big Boss pass, finally grabbing the old man's left arm and putting him a extremely painful armlock that made Big Boss' bones crackle. Big Boss retaliated with a right elbow to Snake's face before his left arm was broken, and his son released him with an unforgiving punch to the back of Big Boss' head. The old man saw stars for an instant, cursing Snake's resolve when in combat.

Snake didn't waste time: he took this one chance and rushed forward with a right kick, followed with several jabs and swings with his fists, which Big Boss managed to parry on the nick of time. But a backhand right punch went through his defense, and Snake pressed the advantage with several furious kicks that drove Big Boss back swiftly.

Another kick, and Big Boss' knees started to feel the strain. Damn. He was getting too old for this. He parried the next two kicks, but the following low roundhouse caught him off guard and the lapse in defense caused Snake to give him a terrible hook on his chin that would have been enough to kill a lesser man. Snake gave him a turning back kick in response to the one he had received himself a little while ago, and Big Boss stumbled back, willing his body to remain standing even though it was already past its limits.

"That's it... I remember, that punch!"

But Big Boss caught Snake's last kick, and using his own monstrous drive he pushed his son back, throwing him to the floor; the old man made a graceful leap that would have been impossible to any other man of his age and landed on Snake's stomach, taking the air out of him and almost knocking him out with the pain. Not wasting any time, he started to smack Snake with his fists, hearing the younger man's groans of pain while his body almost gave out with the extreme pain and damage it was taking. Deep down, Big Boss' soul was shouting with joy: it was battles like these that reminded him of what true life really was.

The last punch almost shattered Snake's jaw. The mercenary's vision was blurry, his strength almost gone to hell. He hadn't taken this hard a beating since his last fight with Liquid Snake in Shadow Moses a decade ago. It was with a supreme effort of will that he managed to stop Big Boss' finishing blow, and grabbed his left hand with his right, twisting upwards and dislocating Big Boss' left index finger. The old man yelled in pain, and Snake kicked him away with a powerful thrust of his right leg. Both men lay on the roof for some seconds, desperately trying to stand up, to get on their feet again for one last round that would decide the whole fight. Big Boss moaned harshly while he put his finger back in place, and the two warriors stood up again.

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The worst thing of them all was how her enemies seemed almost inhuman in their resolve. Misato could barely hold balance to run away and fire blindly at the same time, but not even in the rare occasions she hit someone did the FROGs slow down even a bit.

Misato hid behind a tree and fired some rounds, more to keep the enemy away than to actually gain an edge in the battle. She knew she was done for: there was no way in hell she'd beat the FROGs, not to mention survive the battle. She hit a FROG's shoulder and got a bullet scratch just up her left elbow in response. Now Ocelot's VTOL could be seen nearby, having taken off the ground and taking all the defectors away. But as she looked up, Misato saw that there were two more VTOLs in the sky, along with one powerful Hind D. This wasn't good at all.

She fired a few more rounds and made a break for the warehouse, bent on looking for some space were she could try and ambush the FROGs, if only to take some of them with her when she died. It was sheer luck she wasn't hit in the way, but she knew this wasn't over by a long shot.

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The Earth was literally shaking as both men kept going, fighting madly for any edge in this ultimate battle, fighting for what they believed in and their own sense of conviction. The city had retracted to the ground already, and now a red giant had appeared over the now flat space that was Tokyo 3.

"You better hurry, time is running out!" the harsh old voice claimed as blows were being traded at a lighting-like pace, with the occasional grunts of pain to set the rhythm of the brutal fistfight Outer Heaven's commander and Philanthropy's main operative were having.

But on the other side of the warehouse, looking west, the other cavalry could be seen as well. The outlines of the fast Gekko and the huge Metal Gear RAY were faintly discernable in the distance, coming closer and closer with fateful grace, ready to counterattack NERV's latest move.

Time was of essence, and both men knew it. Their bodies were aching with pain, taking far more damage than was meant for any person, and yet neither slowed down, both aware of how little time they had before the other's reinforcements arrived and the fight ended.

"Like old times... I've been waiting for this pain!" Big Boss muttered, rejoicing in the momentum, the adrenaline and the heightened sense of danger; this was almost a sport for him.

Big Boss' left swing was sloppier than usual, making his exhaustion clear. Snake ducked low and sidestepped left, countering with a punishing right kick that hit the old man's stomach like a powerful whip. He followed with a left spinning kick, which Big Boss managed to parry, and a right jab to the face. Big Boss staggered backwards, stunned. But even though the more than harsh conditions, he still had a colossal will that simply made it impossible for him to give up. Big Boss didn't give up. He fought back until either he or his enemies were dead. And so he parried Snake's last high kick, and countered with a strong right punch. Snake blocked the blow, but Big Boss had been anticipating that and swatted his defense away with his left hand, leaving Snake unprotected. A blow with both hands to the neck was all needed to leave Snake chocking; both men were giving their best. But as Big Boss approached, Snake managed to parry and counterattack, and they started to trade brutal punches without even concerning themselves with parrying. The pain intensified, and they knees started to weaken, a sure sign of a knockout to come. Big Boss hit Snake's head, and blood came from his son's mouth, but still he managed to retaliate with a low hook and a left swing that made Big Boss' sight blacken for a second. The old man receded, nearly loosing consciousness and waiting for one final blow to send him to defeat once more. But as his sight cleared, he saw that he too had managed to drive even a devil like his son to the breaking point: Snake was kneeling on the floor, panting.

A massive sound shook the entire complex to its core as the titanic red EVA started to run, closing in on the warehouse and covering the distance in long strides which quickly turned into jumps. Big Boss felt a tiny stab of dread deep within: he knew that giant was out to get him and him alone. The warrior in him felt flattered by that fact, though.

Snake stood up again and threw a right punch aimed at Big Boss' solar plexus. His enemy didn't have the energy to parry on time, so he simply moved a bit to avoid getting hit in that sensitive area, taking the blow in the right side of his chest. Big Boss grunted and countered with a brutal headbutt that made Snake recede in pain; had he hit a bit low he'd have gotten Snake's nose. But his left punch aimed at his son's temple was blocked and answered with a devastating elbow attack to the neck. The fact that he remained on his feet was a testament of Big Boss' strength, since the last blow was the kind that put men on the hospital or the grave with ease; elbow attacks were forbidden in any martial arts competitions worldwide. He relented from the offensive, spitting blood and feeling his neck creak; Snake closed in and tried to snap his neck once and for all, but a back kick to the stomach kept him away. Both men turned to face one another, and a flashing look passed between them before both executed a spinning kick, which unerringly met a perfect counterpart from the other. But Big Boss recovered faster, and hit the top of Snake's head with a left hammer fist, only to finish him off with a right uppercut that finally sent his son to the floor.

Snake managed to roll back and support his weight with one knee. Big Boss realized this was his only chance: this was as close as he'd get to beat his nemesis.

"You're pretty good," he panted, his voice retaining a proud tone and a smug smirk plastered on his face "Pretty good... I see you haven't lost your touch, my son. But I'm afraid we'll have to cut things short this time," he reached to his back and got out a small gun-shaped item. Snake recognized it instantly: it was a modified grappling hook, meant to be used for a recovery system. Big Boss didn't disappoint; he fired to the skies, and a few moments passed in silence.

"So long, brother," Big Boss smirked. Snake could only watch in frustration as the old man was lifted up, a VTOL appearing on top of them, using a steel arm to lift the steel wire Big Boss had fired, carry his weight and take him out of the scene. Snake came to a crouch, cursing in silence. He had failed. He'd been given a one chance to stop Big Boss before the war was unleashed, and he hadn't been able to use it. Big Boss had survived, against all odds.

He didn't have time to curse any longer. The VTOL hadn't come alone. A Hind D suddenly rose in the air, facing the warehouse, looking like a furious bird of prey and causing a soundwave that left Snake's ears ringing. Big Boss had brought backup, and it had arrived before than Snake's cavalry. The odds felt insurmountable now.

Snake could hear the FROGs beneath him, closing in on the warehouse. The howls of the Gekko sounded closer than ever. And the huge Hind D loomed above him, almost like a bird come from hell bent on blasting him to smithereens, which was more than capable of doing given its devastating firepower. It looked like this was it for him.

He readied himself. He had lost the M4 earlier. His SOCOM was useless. There was no knife nearby. He'd ran out of grenades.

Which meant he'd fight with his bare hands, and his teeth if need be. He'd never surrender. Never give up. He believed with all his heart. Big Boss had taught him to do so, decades ago. He had listened.

The Hind approached and pointed itself towards Snake, its cabin almost looking like the face of an angry predator, snarling, ready to jump on its prey and tear it to shreds. The guns were readied, the sun shone, and a tremendous rumble thundered all over the place while Snake leapt aside, seeking some cover.

It was then that the Hind simply ceased to be. Because, literally speaking, a red giant had swatted it down like it was nothing but an annoying fly. A mighty slap of a huge hand, and the Hind went down with a massive crash while the earth trembled with the red giant's steps.

Snake looked up - the gargantuan red thing was unbelievably tall - with his mouth open from the shock. Evangelion Unit 02 towered over him, taller than anything he'd ever encountered before. Snake had faced horrendous foes, but he still hadn't seen anything like the Evangelion in real combat.

"Hallo Snake!" Asuka's voice came from the Unit's speakers "Need a hand?"

"Asuka!" the man exclaimed, relieved.

"You didn't think I was about to leave you here against all these guys, right?" the girl said smugly "Lets end this together!"

But their glee was not to last. For Big Boss' forces had finally arrived. Many Gekko landed on the hills, roaring their characteristic cries. But it was the larger shapes that caught Asuka and Snake's sight, leaving them transfixed

"Are those...?" Asuka started to say, narrowing her eyes.

"They're here," Snake muttered gravely.

"RAY!" Asuka said, breathless.

Both units landed in front of them, coming to the ground on the airfield Ocelot and Misato had left not long ago. The whole place shook from the impact as these enemy fighters made their grand entrance to the fray. One of them stepped up, walking closer, and then a voice came from inside, amplified with powerful speakers.

"Solid Snake..." the voice said, one the mentioned man was sadly familiar with "And Asuka Soryu. Isn't this a nice gathering?" a dark chuckle followed his words.

"Vamp," Snake grunted, cursing the man and his unwillingness to remain dead.

"You've done more than enough to become a nuisance," the Vampire-like man said "Now you will be terminated by the ultimate weapon the world has ever seen."

Said weapon was tall, nearly three quarters as tall as Unit 02 when standing straight. The head was shaped as that of a predator, some sort of lizard whose bluish eyes followed a prey with uncanny coldness and dexterity. The torso was slim, and the rib structure could be seen easily. It was clear this unit was intended to be agile and fast. The arms were long, almost resembling wings, allowing excellent manoeuvrability and balance and acting as carriers to powerful 30mm. cannons that could blast through reinforced armour as if it were thin paper. The legs were slim and yet very powerful, with heavy thighs and feet that almost resembled hooves. And a large tail served as the ideal counterweight for the head, as well as one last blunt weapon to be used in melee combat. With its large tail, shapely head, long arms and powerful, almost organic legs, Metal Gear RAY looked like a monster, a dinosaur created by mankind.

"What the hell..." Snake muttered, confused. For these two particular units were strange... their armour wasn't the same shade of brown other RAY had, nor it seemed to be made of the same material. It was a metallic grey that shone under the sun, resilient and powerful, unlike the common RAY armour that resembled organic tissue. There were some weird devices under each unit's belly, large and yet very small in proportion with the machines' torsos, whose purpose was yet to be seen. Snake frowned, wondering what would come from this... nothing good, he was sure.

Next to him, Unit 02 stood silently. The red behemoth stared at the American mecha, readying for the soon to be massive battle. Two lineages of ruinous war machines were about to face off, one built as a mean of deterrence and the other to act as mankind's last hope. And yet, both units had more ties than anyone would have guessed: they were made to be the ultimate fighting machine.

Asuka shook her head slightly, clearing her thoughts. She couldn't help but feel a little uneasy in the face of the US' most powerful weapon. This wasn't like the Angels, there had been thousands of people behind the design of the weapon in front of her, all thinking of how to make it better, more suited to the task of facing and defeating any enemy. Besides, she knew that RAY was nothing like the Evangelions when it came to fighting. The EVAs were mainly focused in hand to hand combat. RAY's weapons were better suited for middle and long ranged fighting. This would be a strategic battle, a fight whose winner would be determined by cunning and wit instead of brute force.

Evangelion versus Metal Gear. The battle was about to start.

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Everything was cracking and sparking around Misato as rounds and rounds of gunfire rained upon her. The large storage room in the first floor was now the site of a manhunt like none other, with the Major as the unfortunate prey who could do little to fight back.

The FROGs were surrounding the warehouse. Misato steadied herself against a wall, feeling the room spin in her head, and took aim as best as she could. A FROG peeked from the entrance and Misato opened fire, hitting close to her mark but leaving her enemy unharmed. No more commandoes tried to enter from there, and several seconds passed in silence.

Misato started to frown. She didn't understand what was going on. The FROGs knew how badly fit she was for combat now. There was no use in delaying the hunt longer. And yet, they were leaving her alone. Why was that?

A tremendous rumble echoed all around the complex, and Misato held tight to the wall to avoid falling on her ass in the resulting trembling of the ground. The Major was sadly reminded of how the Earth shook when she witnessed Second Impact; this felt just like that, as if a giant were walking the Earth and shaking everything in its wake.

She dared to take a peek through a small window nearby. What she saw made her go pale: there were not one, but two gigantic robots standing near the airfield she had left not long ago. Tall and slender, the newcomers looked nothing like the EVAs. Whereas Tokyo 3's champions resembled humans in shape, these two looked like reptiles. Misato shuddered. She recognized the things from pictures she had seen and descriptions she had heard. Those were the Metal Gear RAY, the pinnacle of western technology and deadliest fighting machines ever made.

However, this was no reason for the FROGs to withdraw. The Metal Gear RAY were on the airfield, and seemingly facing something else. They clearly weren't after her. Misato started to wonder if she had stumbled upon some sort of good luck... but as she heard a loud, almost cow-like roar and felt the ground tremble beneath her feet, she realized how deeply screwed she truly was now.

The western wall of the warehouse cracked and broke like paper when a massive new enemy got through as if completely uncaring of the feat of strength it had just done. The newcomer was tall, nearing almost five meters in height, with a light brown steely skull shaped as that of an animal and what looked to be dark organic legs. A dome on top of the head served as the sensor relay for the mecha, and the feet ended in something that resembled the toe pads of the Gecko, giving this foe the capacity to move through virtually any kind of terrain.

The Gekko straightened up, reaching its towering full height and Misato took a step backwards, not out of precaution but just out of instinctual fear. That fear skyrocketed when the mecha roared to its maximum capacity, a feature added exactly for the purpose of scaring its enemies. Misato didn't think twice and ran, her sloppy body playing against her as the enemy gave chase and caught up quickly; she felt a crushing wave of anguish and fear and turned to the stairs, hoping to loose this monster in the upper floors.

But as she ran away the Gekko extended a thick cable and grabbed her right leg, making her trip and fall face first on the stairs. The huge machine growled and approached, dragging Misato back with its powerful cord, closer and closer to her death. The woman was frightened out of her pants: this was like facing a raging animal instead of a robot. The Gekko dragged her closer and loomed over her, almost crushing her with its animal-shaped skull. As soon as it was in line with her, the Gekko opened fire with its heavy machine guns. Misato rolled right, avoiding the gunfire by mere inches; she quickly returned fire with the USP, targeting the cord to get free as fast as possible. Her fifth shot snapped the thick wire and she was freed, although her numb body was finally succumbing under the shock and her movements were desperately low. Coming to a crouch, Misato tried to escape upstairs; while behind her the Gekko roared and actually tried to follow her, climbing the stairs with its massive legs.

The steps collapsed, and the Gekko fell to the ground headfirst, where it kept growling lowly as it tried to stand up again. Misato tripped as the stairs gave away just beneath her feet; she jumped desperately, her hands coming to grasp the last standing step just above her; should she fall, she would literally come crashing down right next to the already recovering Gekko. She urgently tried to climb up, willing her body to do this one last task; her whole self drove her to do this, to will her every cell to climb, to live. But alas, this was one shock too many. She'd been shot with tranquilizer darts, slammed, shot with bullets, almost crushed and now this.

Her body started to give up. She couldn't climb, she couldn't move. Her urgency turned into anguish as she realized that no, she wouldn't be climbing this last step. Her arms started to loose all feeling and her hands finally slipped from the edge, her fingers slowly and fatefully giving up.

Misato landed on the floor right next to the roaring Gekko, hurting her left arm and shoulder even more. She would have yelled in pain, had she been in better shape. But as it was, all she felt was a numb soreness as everything around her started to darken and she finally passed out, the growls of the machine next to her fading into nothing.

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He was a practical man above all else, and he knew there was little he could do to help Asuka in his condition. He needed to recover a bit before moving on to the next fight.

Right now, Unit 02 was facing Metal Gear RAY. Snake knew Asuka was tough - it showed in her every word - but now she was alone facing enemies she did not know at all with very little help. She needed assistance, and he would be the one to provide it. This meant he would have to find bigger guns, anything good enough to face the RAY. Maybe a Stinger missile launcher would do, but right now there was no such weapon at hand. Snake recalled his earlier moves and returned to the fourth floor, where the only gun he had lay unused. He quickly found the M4, lost in the CQC fight against Big Boss. Luckily the old man had been too busy at the time to dismantle it.

Having a small break in the fighting for the first time now, he reloaded the carbine and tried to patch himself up enough for his body to keep functioning properly. Everything ached, but he was still standing. His shape was bad enough for any sane man to go to a hospital immediately, but he had no time for such concerns.

A loud rumble echoed on the lower floors of the complex and Snake snapped into readiness again; he had forgotten about Misato in the heat of the battle against the RAY. He quickly dialled Misato's frequency in the codec and waited for a response.

"Misato?" no answer was forthcoming "Misato, are you there? Answer me! Misato!" a second rumble thundered inside the building, and he knew this had something to do with his comrade in arms. Sprinting madly, he quickly went downstairs, passing through the corpses-riddled third floor and the empty second floor. But as he reached the stairs that led to the first floor he heard the unmistakeable growl of a Gekko unit, which sounded very close. His eyes widened when he saw how grim things really were.

Misato lay unmoving on the floor, surrounded by debris which had been the stairs not long ago. A simple glance was all necessary to see how utterly battered she was. Right next to her, a Gekko was recovering and standing up. The huge machine regained footing and quickly targeted the unconscious woman, walking closer to step on her.

Snake acted first. He had faced Gekko last year on a momentous mission, and already knew a few things about them. He promptly opened fire on the top of the beast's head, targeting the small dome and the exposed circuits between the skull and the back of the main body. Sparks started to fly from the carcass, but the Gekko kept going, moving in on the knocked out Major.

Growing desperate, Snake opened a relentless storm of gunfire, causing circuits to spark and overheat and finally getting the machine's attention. Looking up, the Gekko spotted the new threat and reacted accordingly, placing its huge feet over the edge of the ruined stairs and coming to hunt Snake face to face. But the veteran soldier shot first, targeting the sensor relays on top and leaving the machine stunned. Taking advantage of the momentary lull, he jumped to the first floor, landing right next to Misato. His right leg flashed with pain, a reminiscent of the time Big Boss had shot him there, but he kept going with huge resolve. Snake quickly aimed at the legs of the Gekko, still attached to the ruined stairs. The bionic legs gave away under the gunfire and the huge mecha collapsed, landing on the floor again, this time having taken enough damage to be out of the fight for good.

Blowing a sigh of relief and repressed tension, Snake lowered his carbine and checked Misato's unconscious body. The woman was a wreck, sporting bruises in her face and several gashes in her arms. Her left shoulder was a bloody mess, having taken a gunshot wound from a powerful gun from what he could tell. But she still had a pulse. Snake quickly applied a compress to her shoulder wound and carried her to the small room on the floor, hoping to find a place to keep her safe. But he didn't get to finish doing so when he heard the roars of several other Gekko units, all closing in on the warehouse. He quickly set her up on a secluded corner in the room and placed a hand over his ear.

.

Outside the warehouse, Asuka was ready to start the battle. She felt nervous, though: this would be the first time she ever piloted against something that wasn't angelic in nature. But her powerful sense of purpose and will left no room for such concerns now.

"Asuka," Snake's voice suddenly ringer in her ears; the girl jumped slightly in her seat and everyone in the Command Center heard his words "Misato's been knocked out by some Gekko units. I'll take them out, but I can't back you up against the RAY right now. You'll have to handle it yourself."

"Misato?" Asuka asked, worried about the woman. She didn't show it often, but she cared for her too "Snake, you'll be facing the Gekko alone..." but Asuka was never one to hesitate much; if Snake said he'd deal with the Gekko, he meant it. And her task now was facing RAY and nothing else. Asuka's face hardened in pure resolve "Understood, Snake. Don't worry about that Metal Gear: it's mine to beat."

"Got it," Snake smiled; he liked the girl's attitude "I'm counting on you, Asuka."

Asuka's face warmed heavily and Snake cut the call. Now the girl was alone against her enemy.

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Snake patted his back with a grunt of pain, and reloaded. Well, Soryu was on her own now. But he had to take care of this problem, or else Misato would never wake up. This time, he'd have to face the Gekko to keep that from happening. It wasn't a battle he was looking forward to have.

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She was pitted against a foe unlike any other she had ever faced. And so, Asuka hesitated slightly, which was a lot to say in someone like her. But someone picked on that and offered help with the firm hand of experience.

"You need a tactician?" Campbell suddenly chimed in. A brief surprised silence ensued.

"Colonel Campbell?" Asuka asked from her EVA, quite baffled. Still, her face flashed a short tiny grin as a small part of her started to feel exited.

"I may be an old man, but I'm not senile yet," Campbell went on, his voice gaining power "I've coached Snake in his battles against other Metal Gear models; I'm sure I can direct you against this one!"

"Asuka, you only have four minutes and twenty seconds left of power," Ritsuko informed the girl "You have to finish the fight before that; we don't have any energy outposts for your umbilical cord that far."

"RAY's capacities are almost good enough to match an Evangelion," Campbell started "But these two units seem to be modified. Don't rush to eliminate them, no matter the time! Use your assault rifle and dodge any counterattack!"

It was Vamp's Metal Gear RAY that started the battle. Making his robot bend over, he sent a barrage of missiles straight at Unit 02's chest. Asuka raised her AT Field almost absently, causing an explosion when the missiles detonated but leaving her completely unharmed. But in the meantime, one of the RAYs had disappeared, stalking her between the many buildings that made the whole complex.

However, Asuka wasn't trained for a decade just for the fun of it. She quickly reacted, hunting for her enemies carefully but swiftly, and it wasn't long before she found one. The RAY opened fire with its heavy machine guns, but Asuka didn't let that bother her and answered with a barrage of rounds shot with her EVA-sized assault rifle, which closely resembled a FAMAS gun.

But her eyes widened in utter shock when she saw what happened next: the massive rounds, headed straight for the mecha's head, deviated from their course and missed their mark completely, hitting the surrounding buildings and causing huge explosions that blasted more than one building to shreds. One stray bullet hit the top of a watchtower and simply disintegrated it in a ferocious blast of shrapnel.

"Was in Himmel...!" Asuka gasped, dumbfounded. She couldn't believe what had just happened.

"Did that thing use an AT Field?" Maya asked from her terminal.

"No," Ritsuko answered, eyeing the screens in front of her "Whatever it did, it was artificial in nature."

"Yes," Campbell cut in, getting everyone's attention, Asuka's included "I've seen this technology before. A soldier named Fortune used a similar device during the Big Shell incident: it's an electromagnetic gizmo that makes the enemy's rounds miss the target completely, as well as defusing grenades!"

"What!" Asuka asked, baffled. She couldn't believe such a thing: all the reports on the Big Shell incident were quite scarce and didn't tell much about what had happened there "Then how am I supposed to beat that thing?"

"Whatever technology that device uses, it won't stop you from destroying the RAY yourself," Campbell answered firmly "This is a hindrance, but not a crippling disadvantage, Asuka. You still have the most powerful weapon on the battlefield. Stick to close quarters fighting; reduce the distances, and eliminate the target!"

"Right!" Asuka agreed; she liked close combat better anyway "I'm on it!"

Unit 02 leapt in the air with deadly grace, intent on falling on top of the unaware Metal Gear unit. But RAY jumped aside on the last second, while raising one of its wing-like limbs. A barrage of heavy machine gun fire erupted from the extended limb, the heavy rounds targeting the face of the red mecha.

Asuka smirked. Even if RAY was shooting 30 mm. calibre rounds - that could pierce a tanks armor like paper - straight at the face of Unit 02, that was simply too small to damage the EVA. Still, she couldn't risk the chance of RAY getting a shot at one of Unit 02's sensible spots, like the eyes. So she quickly stood and launched a mid roundhouse kick that would have smashed the Metal Gear's head, had not RAY jumped high into the air, leaving Unit 02 behind.

A punishing blow on her back made Asuka turn around. Vamp's RAY had attacked from behind, using RAY's powerful back missiles to inflict some damage to the heavily armoured EVA unit. Asuka cursed loudly; she couldn't focus her AT Field on all sides at the same time, and her enemies were taking advantage of that.

3:17 seconds left. The warm up was over. She had to end this.

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A massive blast was the sign of the destruction of yet another Gekko unit. The heat turned everything into a blazing inferno, making shelves fall to the ground and catch fire as well. Still, the large holes on the wall caused by the machines' entrances were enough to pump enough air in the large warehouse to keep the air from becoming suffocating.

Snake knew this couldn't last. At this rate, it wouldn't be a surprise if the whole building collapsed, making this fight useless. But he dared not leave the place: Misato was still here, unconscious, and such an important target as her would not be left unharmed by the enemy if they had the chance. And so here he was, fighting a battle that could be lost anyway, staying inside a place seemingly doomed to be destroyed.

A quick burst of the M4 made the next Gekko trip and fall flat on the floor. But Snake knew he had no time to take this one out, not with the other one aiming to blow him to pieces from behind. He ran forward instead, allowing himself to be fired upon, and as he took cover behind the skull of the first Gekko the gunfire from the other was enough to destroy the unit. A short-circuit in the machine told him to run, and run he did, although the blast made him trip and fall face first on the ground, getting another bruise in his torso with the blow. Snake stood up, and turned around to face the yet to be beaten Gekko behind him.

Roaring, the Gekko ran forward, bent on rushing Snake and crushing him. As soon as it got in range, the Gekko threw a ferociously fast kick to its target. Snake jumped back, avoiding the kick by inches and thanking god for his quick reflexes; the Gekko's leg hit the wall, where it became stuck to the resilient material made to endure powerful blasts. Snake wasted no time and opened fire on the other leg, making the Gekko stumble and fall flat on the ground; taking this chance, Snake targeted the exposed sensors on the head and opened fire, rendering the Gekko useless.

The break didn't last. Three more Gekko got inside, smashing their way through the walls with their reinforced skulls. They swiftly opened fire on Snake with the heavy calibre machine guns, forcing the man to seek cover behind the only thing resilient enough to endure the rain of powerful rounds, namely the head of the recently destroyed Gekko. Daring to take a peek, Snake answered with a swift burst of gunfire from his M4, making the nearest Gekko trip and fall to the ground. His victory wasn't meant to last, though, as the two remaining ones roared and jumped over him, almost as if the AI that controlled them felt anger towards this insufferably unkillable man.

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It was with a supreme effort and an impressive display of skill that Asuka managed to separate her enemies and chase Vamp's RAY down to the point of cornering him against the near hills. But she had done it, and now it had come to a battle of close quarters fighting which the Evangelion was far more suited to. Vamp rushed the EVA, but Asuka reacted faster and caught his unit by the neck, lifting it almost without effort. Asuka grinned a feral smile and stabbed her enemy in the belly, going for a killing blow to end this madness once and for all.

The knife caused a shattering noise when impaled against the RAY. Huge sparks flew from the Metal Gear, small in comparison to the mechas but big enough to leave steaming craters on the ground beneath, and artificial blood oozed from the injury. However, Asuka's thrust had hit RAY's strange underbelly device, ruining it, but sparing the unit from the blunt power of the blow. Vamp's response was swift and powerful: RAY opened its head, letting the lower jaws descend and resembling a powerful animal about to bite an opponent, and then unleashed its most powerful weapon, the water jet cutter, which fired a concentrated stream at tremendous pressure with such force that it could cut nearly anything. Such was the intensity of the attack than even Unit 02's nearly indestructible armour was cracked, leaving a scar on the EVA's right cheek. Asuka yelled in pain and dropped her enemy, and RAY used the momentum to regain its footing and flee from the powerful German mecha while it could. This was a battle without mercy, and all parties involved knew it.

Unit 02's advanced HUD and computers warned her of the incoming danger. Asuka turned around and thanked Unit 02's computers for telling her of this in time: the unmanned RAY had bent over and unleashed a storm of missiles from its back, ready to blast Unit 02 to smithereens with the blow.

"Asuka, look out!" Campbell warned her "Take cover quickly!"

"It doesn't matter!" the girl answered firmly "I still have my AT Field!"

The missiles came closer, and Unit 02 raised its hands, pointing at them with the palms open. A hexagonal barrier made itself visible for a second, and then the missiles crashed against it, causing a massive blast that made the ground tremble; many trees on the hills were brought down by the powerful shockwave, and a cloud of dust filled the battlefield.

"Yes!" Asuka whispered to herself; Unit 02's raw power was too much for RAY to take down. But as the midst started to clear she saw the unmanned unit rush her "Was...!" Asuka got out before RAY passed through the impenetrable AT Field as if it weren't there; such was her surprise that she didn't react in turn, getting hit by the onslaught that the enemy machine was. RAY's head hit Unit 02's waist, tackling it. Asuka fell down and came crashing down on a three story warehouse.

"What!" Fuyutsuki gasped, and everyone echoed his words "How did it do that!"

It was then that some words said during his kidnapping came back to him:

'This artefact will be quite useful...' a harsh voice with a Russian accent mocked.

'Of course,' comprehension dawned on Fuyutsuki 'the Lance... they must have researched it, maybe even used SEELE's technology to exploit it. Those units' armour must be born from that research! Now they have a counter measure even for the AT Field!'

RAY jumped over Unit 02, smashing it. Using its impressive agility, the robot jumped back in the air, and as it flew it opened its jaws and unleashed the water cutter, hitting Unit 02's left shoulder. Asuka screamed in pain, clutching her shoulder, the feedback from the attack making her feel like she had been stabbed. RAY landed right in front of her and aimed with the water cutter, this time seeking a decisive blow to the face.

But Asuka was faster. Unit 02 had one secret weapon no one knew. The right shoulder carried the needle gun, which fired highly penetrating spikes like missiles, only meant for sheer melee destruction. She leaned left and fired, sending huge metallic spikes that hit RAY with the force of a small explosion. The Metal Gear, despite its enormous size and massive weight, was simply blasted back, becoming airborne one last time. It finally landed two hundred feet away, with its torso riddled with marks and needles; the unit stumbled and fell, not quite destroyed yet but out of the fight for now.

Unit 02 stood up again, wounded but still operational. She approached the remaining RAY, and Vamp answered in turn, prowling closer with his unit. Both sides had taken damage so far: it was all a matter of seeing which would crumble first. 1:35 seconds; the battle wouldn't last longer than that.

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What used to be a storage room full of shelves with supplies and rations was now close to be barren field. The first floor of the warehouse had witnessed a battle like no other, and it showed. The remains of seven Gekko units lay on the floor, and in the center of it all a man kneeled panting in distress. Misato was safe for now, but he couldn't keep this up for much longer.

Four new units smashed their way into the warehouse, all of them emitting that cry that closely resembled that of cows.

Caught in the open, Snake didn't stand much chance. His body was terribly hurt from all the fighting and the exhaustion, and even though he had endured a lot already he was already past his limits. Facing four Gekko at once in his shape and this bad situation was asking too much. He raised his Carbine in a gesture of defiance, knowing that this was a battle he would not survive. But maybe he'd get Misato a chance to live now, with all the distraction he had provided. The Gekko growled and approached, training their guns on him, and Snake thought of how sad it was that he didn't get to say goodbye to his friends and the people he knew before venturing into a battle he knew was suicidal from the start. One last heartbeat passed, and his index finger ached over the trigger, begging to be allowed to go down fighting. Snake would oblige that wish. The Gekko roared to their cornered prey, and the mercenary raised his weapon one last time...

SWISH!

It all happened in an instant. There was a flash of light, a sharp sound, and suddenly the Gekkos' heads simply fell to the floor, separated from the bodies. A rumble echoed in the place as the heavy skulls hit the ground, and then the bodies collapsed. Snake's jaw was opened in surprise. But his surprise was about to hit a new high soon enough.

A black shape landed between the fallen Gekko, several feet in front of Snake. Crouching low, the new figure seemed threatening, as if in possession of a hidden power that could be unleashed in the blink of an eye. The black shape stood up slowly, revealing itself to be a male. It looked like a mixture of human and robot, a perfect cyborg just like Gray Fox. But this wasn't Gray Fox, no matter how much he resembled him. Fox's new exoesqueleton had light brown colored arms and legs, along with a more sophisticated torso and a slightly taller frame. But the newcomer was all black, and the exoesqueleton looked more... primitive, as that of an incomplete prototype. Snake would recognize Gray Fox anywhere, and he would recognize the man in front of him anywhere, too.

"Raiden," he gasped, taking one step forward. Last time he had seen the man, he was a resourceful, lethally skilled and slightly whiny but fully human person.

Right now, he looked like an abomination. Good thing Snake didn't mind appearances much.

Raiden finally looked up, raising his head sharply. His blue eyes shone, and then turned to red in a flash of light. It was a vision come from hell itself. Snake allowed himself a moment to pity what had become of the young man that now stood before him turned into a killing machine. When Raiden spoke, his voice was lower and harsher than Snake had ever heard from him before.

"Snake," the cyborg rasped "It's my turn to protect you."

The older man was speechless. Surprise was written in his face, a face hardened by years of taking shock after shock. And yet, this one was unexpected even for him.

"Raiden!" he gasped "What are you doing here!"

"The Metal Gear have the upper hand, Snake," Raiden said as the only answer, closing his eyes one second and then opening them back to reveal the extent of his purpose laying beneath "Evangelion is no match for those two modified units. Asuka Soryu needs help. You can't win with that gun. Take this instead," he reached for his back and grabbed a big weapon with his right hand. The weapon made a loud noise when landing in front of Snake's feet. Hanging the M4 on his back, Snake grabbed Raiden's gun and realized what it was from its weight alone.

"A miniature modified Rail Gun..." this one was slightly smaller than Fortune's, but huge nonetheless. Raiden walked closer and stood right in front of Snake, the man that had helped him in his first real mission and mentored him as best as he could. Yes, there was a certain bond between them, one that echoed the bond between Big Boss and Gray Fox. He held out a second item to his friend and ally: a SOCOM handgun.

"I'm returning it to its rightful owner," Raiden said, making Snake remember the time when he give the handgun to him during the Big Shell incident "You'll need it more than I do."

Snake took the SOCOM and sheathed it, discarding his jammed one. He nodded to Raiden, and both men made their way out of the building, bent on helping Asuka, who now stood alone against two enemies that could tear armies apart. Snake spared one last glance to the fallen form of Misato, and he felt a pang of guilt for leaving her like this. But he knew she was safe for now: all the Gekko had been destroyed. Now it was time to protect Asuka.

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**Author Notes 2:**

And that's how this one ends. Pure action, I know, but it was fun to write and I hope enjoyable to read. I hope Raiden fans were pleased by this one, and know that he'll have his hands full soon enough... and I've got to say writing him was fantastic, since he's so awesome it's almost like whenever he appears the scenes write themselves.

Next chapter will be about the final stage of the battle and some scenes of what happens next. As I said before, give me one week and it will be posted. I thought about adding it to this one, but more than 13000 words feels like too much for this fic, so I split things up this time. Anyway, as usual I thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed the ride.

Devil Boss


	14. Confrontation, finale

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own any of the characters from the Evangelion and Metal Gear Solid universes; they belong to Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, GAINAX Studios, Hideo Kojima, Shoji Shinkawa, Kojima Productions and Konami Studios.

**Author Notes:**

Here comes the last part of the battle, people. Asuka keeps fighting, and Snake and Raiden go to help her. But Ocelot gets involved, too. This will be the last chapter of the month, since I want to take some time to write carefully instead of rushing to post faster. Short as it is, this chapter does have some important things, and those of you who like Raiden will probably like this chapter too. I know I did. That said, on with the story!

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**Chapter 12: Confrontation, final part**

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High in the skies, a VTOL surveyed the whole scene. Revolver Ocelot watched from above, deeply interested in the brutal battle evolving on the ground. He had a compress on his left shoulder, and his left arm was kept tight against his body, but otherwise he was in working condition, and that was enough.

"Pixy!" Ocelot called to the pilot of the VTOL "Take us down there. Get me close to the battle!"

Any other man would have refused, on the very rational grounds of not wanting to suicide. But the pilot was just as crazy as Ocelot and Big Boss: Solo Wing Pixy was a man that lived to pilot and to fight. Closer and closer they edged, now six hundred feet above ground, watching, and waiting; Ocelot acted not without a purpose. It was time to use one of their new weapons.

It wasn't long before Unit 02 spotted the VTOL. Asuka frowned, wondering what did this mean. Six hundred feet of height was nothing her EVA couldn't reach in a jump, and they had to know it. Even the RAY could do it... and besides, why would they come? Using one of her EVA's sight features, she zoomed in on the flying machine. What she saw made her blood boil... Ocelot was there, watching the battle with a smirk, arrogance written all over him.

"Not bad, Asuka Soryu," Ocelot's voice thundered over the battlefield, while the RAY halted their attack "You're a fine product of German teachings," Ocelot smirked, his rough, sarcastic voice gaining a dangerous tint to it, almost resembling a hiss. Flying above Unit 02, the VTOL resembled a crow signalling doom on the red EVA "But... I can do better."

He raised his right hand, his palm open. It was as if that gesture had paralyzed the entire battlefield, with every party stopping dead and the Command Center in NERV watching in fright.

"Activate it."

He lowered the hand. He pointed at Asuka with two fingers. And hell was unleashed for the young girl.

A strange tingle ran through Asuka's body. The girl blinked and shook her head to clear her thoughts. Her vision had gone blurry for a second, even though she had excellent sight. But then, she started to feel dizzy and her head began to ache. Asuka took a hand to her temple and rubbed it, but it was no use. She started to moan in pain.

"What's happening!" Fuyutsuki demanded to know from the Command Center "What did he do!"

"We're reading abnormal impulses from within the pilot!" Maya said, alarmed "Her vital signs are becoming erratic!"

"AAAAUUGHHHH!" Asuka screamed, making everyone in the Command Center jump in their seats.

"Did he use an EMP on her?" Fuyutsuki exclaimed. Asuka screamed again, louder this time, increasing the level of urgency in the bridge.

"No!" Ritsuko answered, typing furiously "It's... I can't believe it... the nanomachines!"

"The system! How's that possible!"

"Dear God..." Campbell whispered, looking at the large screen on top of the bridge. Everyone turned to follow his eyes, and paled.

On the battlefield, Vamp's RAY crouched just like a predator preparing to jump over its prey. The machine aimed towards the convulsed EVA, targeting the chest. The head opened, revealing the water jet cutter, now ready to be used in the time of Asuka's greater weakness. For a fleeting moment silence reigned on the field.

"So long, kiddo," Vamp grinned one last time.

The water jet cutter was unleashed in full force, shrilling in the air and sending a narrow stream of water expelled at extremely high pressures that reached near astronomical speeds. The beam hit the center of Unit 02's chest, blasting the red mecha back with terrible force. Unprotected, Unit 02 didn't last long under the attack, crashing against a small warehouse nearby and collapsing instantly. The chest had now a huge mark that almost resembled a scar.

Asuka yelled in pain as the feedback of the attack was added to the already maddening pain she had been suffering from Ocelot's strike. She screamed, trying to fight back and remain conscious, but she fell back into her seat, knocked out cold.

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Ocelot watched the scene from his VTOL, the wind making his coat agitate around him. A small smile of triumph appeared in his face. He was very pleased with this outcome: Outer Heaven's research had paid off. The test had been a complete success. They had gone into battle against the most powerful enemy ever to walk the Earth, and they had won. Unit 02 and Asuka Soryu were finished, defeated by the cunning and wit of men and women who only lived to fight. He allowed himself a heartily laugh of glee. If they could do this, then they could do anything.

"Vamp," Ocelot said through his commlink "The test is a success. Finish the mission."

"Yes, king," the knife wizard answered, making RAY walk closer to the fallen EVA.

"Take us out of here," Ocelot said to the pilot, receiving a nod in turn. Their part of the plan was done. The VTOL gained height and started to fly away.

Next to him, Touji Suzuhara looked over the edge and saw the horrible image of Unit 02 collapsed against a building, with RAY approaching it like a predator that draws near to a weakened prey. He shuddered at the sight. He never liked Asuka, but this was a bit too much...

"That's war, kid," Ocelot said, shaking his head with a smirk "You better get used to it."

The VTOL flew away, leaving Tokyo 3 behind.

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"Shut the EVA down, quickly! Deactivate every system except the life support of the pilot!" Ritsuko ordered hurriedly "We need to save energy until the Second Child wakes up!"

Her orders were followed instantly, but their hearts were filled with dread. They could not believe this; they could not believe that such a powerful weapon as Evangelion had been beaten by men.

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Some clouds were covering the noon sun, bathing the skies and the earth underneath in a dull shade of gray that seemed to take all life away. Both warriors ran under the gray clouds, moving fast through the empty fields, running through the destroyed warehouses and towers that stood as proof of the massive battle that had taken place there just moments ago. Both had heard the chilling screams of pain of a young girl that had been pushed to the breaking point. And both knew they were the last hope for this battle to be won.

Everything around them was a complete wreck. The ground looked like if an earthquake had hit the place, the buildings were heavily dented or destroyed altogether, and the forested hills were almost barren now. But the most horrifying sight was yet to be discovered. Snake and Raiden halted at once as they saw it.

Unit 02 lay on the ground, with its back against a warehouse that proved its resilience by enduring the EVA's massive weight. The red mecha was wrecked, sporting a large dent on its chest, a memento of the terrible blow it had taken. And to make the picture even more gruesome, Vamp's Metal Gear RAY was edging closer, ready to finish the job. A few dozens of feet behind, the other RAY was standing up once more.

Snake didn't think twice. He ran like hell, covering the hundred feet that separated him from Unit 02 in seconds. He stopped at the unit's feet, loading the railgun and making Vamp stop abruptly in baffled surprise.

"So the man decides to show up," Vamp taunted "But this is a battle you cannot win."

Snake's only response was to aim his weapon.

"What are you going to do, face two Metal Gear with your hands?" Vamp said, and then chuckled softly, with that low tone that almost resembled lust "Think again, hero."

It was then that a second figure made its appearance in the battlefield. And those in Command, that felt nothing could surprise them now, were sent into shock yet again. For this newcomer looked exactly like the demon that had penetrated the Geo Front, butchered several people and severed Gendo Ikari's hand.

"You..." Vamp was left speechless for a second "We were told you were dead..."

"No," Raiden whispered "Death rejected me."

A silence followed, with all parties making calculations in silence. The odds had changed: now they were two on two. And Raiden's capacities remained an enigma for almost everyone; only Snake had a slight idea after seeing him against the Gekko and recalling Gray Fox's abilities.

"Snake," Raiden muttered "I'll take the unmanned RAY out. You stall this one for as long as you can. It won't be long now."

"Got it, kid," Snake grunted back, somehow surprised at the change in Raiden's personality "Let's get this over with."

A short break followed, and then hell broke loose. The last encounter of the battle had just begun. Raiden jumped to face his opponent, while Snake aimed and fired his weapon, kick starting his own fight.

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He knew it was all a matter of getting close. This RAY was unmanned, and it didn't have the same capabilities Vamp's did. Soryu had managed to weaken it, too, taking some of the agility it should have had otherwise, which gave him a great edge for the battle. Missiles came out of its knees, flying smoothly. Raiden used his enhanced agility and flipped up and forward, easily evading them. He landed and sprang forward again, closing in. RAY used its more powerful missiles, bending over and firing from its back; however, the ninja sped up and dodged with ease: having been designed to destroy heavily armoured targets, those missiles were useless against him, unable to hit such a small target that moved so fast. RAY growled and lifted its left arm, taking aim with its heavy machine guns. Raiden smirked: that was what he had been waiting for.

Rounds of 30mm. gunfire hit the floor at his feet, but Raiden kept going, and everyone in NERV's Command Centre that was watching his side of the fight had their mouth open when seeing how this newcomer literally zigzagged through the devastating storm of lead. Raiden ran forward, and finally jumped high in the air, cutting the bullets with his High Frequency Blade and landing on RAY's left leg; he grabbed the limb firmly and pointed his sword downwards. No mere weapon could go through the modified armour, but Raiden's Nodachi-based blade was as far from normal as it could get. The technology used in it was exactly the same employed in the Evangelions' progressive knives. Namely, it could get through anything.

RAY's head opened as the mecha screeched in pain as Raiden's blade stabbed the leg and artificial blood started to erupt from the wound. Raiden used his chance and jumped high up again, literally landing on RAY's now open lower jaw. The second living Cyborg Ninja reached to his back and planted a C4 right in the muzzle of RAY's main weapon, the water cannon. He felt a massive jolt of energy build up from within the mecha and realized RAY was about to disintegrate him with the weapon. Fearless, Raiden jumped far, far away, now reaching more than thirty meters in height, and as he flew he detonated the C4, blowing Metal Gear RAY's head off with a terribly powerful explosion.

He used his momentum to roll as soon as he hit the ground again, and stopped himself with his left arm and right knee, with his sword held in a reverse grip over his back while behind him the ultimate Metal Gear collapsed, beaten by this supersoldier alone. Everything was bathed in a reddish light, and the cyborg cast a shadow with his crouched form. Raiden was back. And he was back with a vengeance.

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A massive explosion rocked the cockpit and Metal Gear RAY shuddered. Vamp cursed as red lights of alert flashed in front of him, warning him of the powerful damage his unit had just received. The man damned Soryu's earlier blow to his deflecting device: the girl had ruined it with her knife, and now he was exposed to gunfire. Grunting, Vamp willed RAY to take an agile leap that took the mecha several dozen feet back, and sent some missiles from RAY's back towards the nagging enemy he was facing.

Snake acted as soon as he saw RAY jump back: knowing what was coming, he quickly used his chaff grenade and let it do its magic. The effect was quick and useful: instead of following their mark as intended, RAY's missiles went wildly off course and hit nothing but the harsh ground. Snake took advantage and fired another tremendously powerful shot at RAY's head, driving the beast back and gaining the upper hand for now in the devastating duel.

'I was right in vouching for you, Snake,' Campbell thought proudly as he saw his friend keep going on the offensive 'You haven't lost your touch. If anything, you've only become better over the years. Young Solid Snake was always alone. You're not.'

"Ma'am, the Second Child is regaining consciousness," Maya reported to Ritsuko, her screens showing a rise in Asuka's vital signs activity.

"Make sure the EVA is ready when she wakes up!" Campbell ordered swiftly. No one cared he had no real rank in NERV. He was the only strategist present, and his commands were swift and firm. It was good to have a level-headed person in charge, especially in a battle such as this.

Snake leapt right and saved himself from the killing blast of the missile that hit the ground not far away, although the heat felt almost unbearable for his exhausted body. He answered with a railgun shot at RAY's torso, which hit its mark but didn't seem to have much effect. Vamp smirked in his cockpit, knowing his enemy's edge was starting to fade. RAY was too much for a man to face, no matter whom. He taunted his rival, tiring him, using his superior firepower both as a physical and psychological weapon. Two missiles came from RAY's knees and sought Snake with unerring accuracy, and the man shot them out of the air with his SOCOM pistol. Vamp already knew he'd do that, but it was good to distract him, and keep him on constant edge: the longer a person was in that state, the more prone they were to fail at some point, since the human body can't keep focused for too long.

RAY roared and jumped high in the air, gaining tremendous altitude and for a moment looking smaller than it truly was. The pilot's intentions became clear when the huge mecha descended upon Snake, bent on crushing him with its massive legs. The mercenary leapt back, and even though he managed to avoid being flattened to death the huge impact RAY caused when it hit the ground was enough to send him flying back several meters.

Snake grunted in pain as he landed on the floor, feeling his back ache from all the punishment it'd been taking for a long time by now. It took him a moment to realize he had lost the railgun, seeing the powerful weapon laying a few feet away. A whimper escaped his lips as he crouched towards the gun, grabbing it with shaky hands. Above him, RAY looked down and raised one massive leg.

Stepped upon by a Metal Gear. It was a fitting end given his career, Snake though. He raised the railgun and aimed up, targeting RAY's head. He wouldn't survive, but he would go down fighting.

The railgun fired and hit RAY's cockpit, rocking the entire robot back. However, RAY's left foot descended upon him, casting one last shadow to end them all. And yet, the impact never came.

"Hurry, get away!"

"Raiden!"

The Cyborg stood next to him, holding Metal Gear's foot back with one hand and his High Frequency blade with the other. It was an image came from Snake's very memories, memories of a long gruelling battle he had with another Metal Gear where another Cyborg Ninja and friend sacrificed himself for him.

Well, he wouldn't make the same error twice. Snake rolled back, aimed and fired again, hitting RAY's lower jaw one more time. The Cyborg roared and pushed RAY's foot back with an almighty thrust of his arm, and then stabbed the leg, making Metal Gear come to a crouch. Snake targeted the now open head and fired one last time, and a lethal explosion thundered in the field, finally sending RAY back, away from the two relentless warriors. They had done the impossible, managing to drive the enemy back, even for a short moment.

Vamp let out a snarl of frustration and retreated some more "So the kid has grown..." he almost moaned, but his jaw tightened and his look became angry "How's this then?" he pushed a few buttons and a large payload of missiles left RAY's back. The missiles detonated high in the air, well above the ground, and then countless small bombs started to fall, hitting everything.

"No!" Snake yelled "Raiden, duck!"

But there was nowhere to go. This attack was designed to obliterate everything, turning all things in a three hundred feet radius into ashes by using a large number of small bombs. The first explosions came as the charges hit the highest buildings of the complex.

"Not so fast, you verdammt shwein!"

All charges detonated. However, none of them managed to hit the ground. Because an impenetrable hexagonal barrier of energy had appeared from thin air, the powerful bombs disappearing against it as if they were nothing but flies.

Snake and Raiden turned around, and saw that Unit 02 had stretched its hand, pointing at them. The huge red behemoth had managed to produce its impenetrable field, saving them both, willed by the now awake Second Child. She had been beaten once, but now she had another chance, and she wouldn't fail this time.

The ground shook violently as Unit 02 rose to its feet. Asuka stood up and raised the prog. knife with a reverse grip. Her dizziness had faded, although her body felt weak. However, the combat high was more than enough to overcome that, and there was no time for her body to feel the stress from all the injuries now. There was an enemy to beat first.

The tactician in Snake's mind sprang to life and quickly ordered him what to do. This was a golden chance, probably the last one they had. Teamwork was important now. Teamwork was essential for their success!

"Raiden, you take care of the right leg, and I'll handle the left," he said to his comrade in arms, getting a stiff if slightly confused nod from him; but Snake had no time for such things and used his codec to talk to the girl in the massive red fighter "Asuka, we're going to pin RAY down. Use your knife and stab it in the head! We're counting on you!"

"Got it, Snake!" Asuka answered readily. Unit 02 crouched, ready to spring and leap upon the Metal Gear.

"I don't think so, warrior," Vamp said, aiming with the 30mm. cannons one last time. But he had no defense for what happened next. Raiden threw his sword as strongly as possible, making the blade move so fast that it became a challenge to see it and hitting RAY's right knee, impaling itself to its very handle. RAY lost balance and stumbled, and Snake used that moment to open fire with the railgun and nail the other knee, rendering the agile machine motionless for some seconds.

This was the chance Asuka had been expecting all along. At last, the foe she hadn't been able to corner was utterly still. She willed Unit 02 to jump, and the red monster became airborne instantly, closing in on the immobilized enemy at tremendous speeds. A jolt shook the Earth as she landed, and the progressive knife shone under the sun.

"Got you, you slippery bastard."

The knife stabbed RAY's head from upside, going through the reinforced materials as if they were butter. The American mecha stood still for a moment, unable to open its jaw anymore. Then, a rumble thundered and Metal Gear RAY shuddered as its inner circuits started to ignite, rocking the robot with powerful explosions. One last cry was heard from inside the cockpit as the furious pilot yelled, and RAY finally collapsed.

"They've done it..." Shigeru whispered from his terminal in the Command Center.

"Send Section 2 immediately, along with some ambulances!" Campbell ordered swiftly "The battle is over. The war's not. We have a lot to do."

The command was easy to carry out. A heavily armoured division was nearby, waiting for the most powerful foes to disappear before going into action, and with them came a team of medics ready to treat the injured. It was less than a minute before they were arriving to the ruined complex.

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RAY's cockpit hissed and opened automatically. The Unit was designed to open in order to let the pilot escape if it was destroyed in combat, so as to not become a tomb should a bad thing happen. Vamp climbed to the top, his bloodied face a gory testament of the damage he had taken even inside the massive robot. Unit 02's knife had hit RAY's head, and even though the cockpit had been mostly spared, he still had taken a thorough trashing inside. He moaned in pain and fell to the ground, coming to hit the floor with a loud grunt. Even in this unpleasant situation, he couldn't help but feel somewhat satisfied with the outcome of things. Yes, even in defeat, they still had plans to follow, and his capture would be beneficial for Outer Heaven. It was all a matter of waiting. He licked his lips and came to a crouch, but he knew there was nothing to do as he heard steps come to a halt right in front of him.

"We meet again..." Vamp said, raising his head. A blade was pressed against his neck, its steely cold surface drawing a shiver from him. Vamp smirked and looked up, watching the man holding the blade. Raiden seemed dead serious; they both had a history and ached to settle the score once and for all.

But it would not be this day. Sirens made themselves heard as Section came with several ambulances, ready to secure the place before anything else happened. A heavy strike team got off a van and made its way to the two men, all carrying M4's and flack jackets.

Vamp made a motion to stand up, heedless of the blade against his neck, and Raiden answered by punching him in the head with all his might. The knife wizard collapsed over the ground, unconscious.

"Freeze!" the strike team yelled, pointing their guns at Raiden "Drop your weapon, and put your hands in the air, now!"

Raiden slowly turned around to face them. To them, he was an unidentified subject who bore a significant resemblance to the one that had infiltrated the Geo Front not long ago. The ninja faced them, and more than one of those heavily trained men had to fight down the urge to shiver as his eyes turned a flashing shade of red. Their fingers ached over the triggers, begging to take down the creature in front of them.

But Snake stepped in front of them, blocking their view.

"Hold on, he's not an enemy. Calm down," his rough voice helped more than one of them to relax, if only slightly. They lowered their weapons reluctantly under Snake's stare "He's with me," the man added to ease them more; it was enough for them "We are going to need medical assistance for the Second Child, and for Major Katsuragi," Snake said "Get some paramedics here ASAP."

"Yes sir," the squad leader said, making a gesture to one of his men "But it'll take us some time to get the Second Child from up there..."

They looked up. Unit 02 sat motionless next to the destroyed Metal Gear RAY. The massive red colossus had finally spent its energy reserves. The Entry Plug was now out of the main body, but the pilot hadn't exited it. The girl didn't respond to any question or anything said to her.

"Raiden," Snake said, turning to the Cyborg. Raiden nodded curtly and leapt up, climbing the massive Evangelion with his unnatural agility "Secure the area," Snake said to the armed men, going to the large warehouse to find Misato.

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"Asuka, are you there? Can you move?" she kept hearing them ask. Many people in the Command Center were talking, calling out to her with growing levels of worry. Their voices mixed, and started to become a blur to her. But Asuka couldn't respond. Now that the combat high was over, her body was suffering the terrible effects of the shock it had to endure during the battle. All the blows she had received, all the punishment inflicted to her EVA. But above all, the effects of Ocelot's attack were the worst of it all, what caused her body to shiver uncontrollably, almost unable to move. Everything hurt, and she couldn't think straight. Worse yet, images of her long repressed past kept flashing in front of her eyes, small snippets of her childhood that she had tried to forget for years. A whimper escaped her lips as she felt her body go numb with physical and psychological pain. She was shaking all over, and she felt like throwing up.

The handles of the Entry Plug were searing with heat, a memento of how close had Vamp's Water Cutter attack come from annihilating Asuka herself. Raiden placed his hands on them nonetheless, utterly unperturbed by the way his own hands started to burn, and twisted them until opening the hatch. LCL came out of the Plug, and his eyes had to adjust to the dark in front of him. He could make out the outlines of a seat, and there was a girl in it.

Her head was spinning. Asuka had her eyes closed, trying to remain conscious out of a sense of duty to her pride. She was vaguely aware of two strong arms picking her up, lifting her like she weighed nothing, firmly but softly too. She felt the air around her, and realized she had been taken out the Entry Plug. She made one last effort and opened her eyes, glancing at a black shape with reddish eyes before passing out.

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His steps echoed in the vast, ruined warehouse. Snake ran faster, hurrying towards the limp form of his ally and comrade in arms, Misato Katsuragi, who still lay unconscious from all the damage she had taken in the brutal battle.

"Misato?" he called, kneeling by her. She was breathing, although weakly.

"Misato?" Snake said again, cradling her in his arms.

"Uh," Misato shook slightly "Uhhh," she whimpered, taking her left hand to her temple "Snake? Is that you?" her sight cleared enough and she saw the man leaning over her, holding her firmly "You're alive!" Misato said in relief, caressing his face with her hand "Thank god!"

"Misato," Snake said "Misato, are you okay?"

"Are you okay? Is that all you can say?" the woman taunted back, but her jest was lost with her weak tone. She was in no shape to make jokes now.

"I'm sorry I didn't get here earlier," Snake apologized, shaking his head. Misato looked at him and then at the totalled room.

"I was fighting, too," she whispered, closing her eyes "Just like you."

"You're a strong woman," Snake said, getting a slight blush from the Major. Misato started to inch closer to him, her thoughts clear enough for this one act...

"There she is!" a medic cried at the doors of the warehouse "Get me a stretcher here on the double!"

Snake and Misato looked at one another. The medics were running to them.

"Looks like we're not having a private moment after all," Snake said with a slight smirk "You take some rest, Misato. I'll handle things for now."

Misato nodded and the paramedics lifted her to a gurney. The Major was rolled out of the warehouse, wounded and exhausted but alive, just as her two charges. This battle had proven how deep they could be hit by only one enemy spy. She would make sure this didn't happen again.

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"I've seen you in better shape, Boss," Ocelot jested when he saw his Commander.

"Nothing I haven't taken before," Big Boss said with a smirk. They had just arrived to their base in Mount Fuji, which as of now was registered as being in PMC possession. However, it wouldn't be long for its true purposes to be discovered, now that SEELE had been destroyed "Vamp was captured."

"I see," Ocelot said "Too bad he didn't get to finish the Second Child before that," Big Boss grimaced slightly at those words, but his face was stony a second later "Now I suppose you'll go to plan B, right?"

"Yes," Big Boss nodded "He'll be in NERV's custody for some time before that, though..."

"He won't have a nice time there, King."

"He's cut out for it," Big Boss dismissed "Besides, he asked for this particular mission. Vamp won't break. Now we have one of our own right in the Geo Front, NERV's most secure base. We'll unleash him when the time is right."

"And what about the RAYs?" Ocelot inquired.

"It's a shame they were destroyed, but I figured it could happen," Big Boss said darkly "But our test went superbly right. We wanted to see if our technology was up to par with the Evangelion, and it was. A resounding success, I'd say," there was a short break in the conversation after that.

"Shouldn't you see a doctor, Boss?" Ocelot asked at last while they walked through an underground corridor, watching the Commander limp slightly and seeing how he carried himself slower than usual.

"In a minute," Big Boss said "I want to see Suzuhara first."

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"Touji," Big Boss called to the boy as soon as he entered what would become his new quarters. It was a nice room, well furnished and quite spacious.

"Ummm, Commander, sir," Touji said, straightening up, awkward about the whole military thing.

"Just Boss," the old man said with a chuckle "Your sister has been transferred to our medical wing already. Our doctors are scanning her as we speak."

"Can I see her?" Touji asked immediately. Big Boss liked his devotion to others.

"In a minute," he said "I want to show you something first," he beckoned Touji to follow him and the two left the room.

For a while they walked in silence. Big Boss lit a cigar and led Touji through several corridors, until they came to a lift. Climbing in the lift, they descended many floors, deeper and deeper underground. When the ride stopped, Big Boss gestured the boy to walk out first.

Touji did so, and was left instantly breathless. There was an Evangelion in front of him. Black, powerful, and massive. It wasn't like Shinji's, no. This one didn't have a horn, and its face seemed less aggressive, and yet it was threatening as well, that of a dangerous predator that didn't outright seek to kill you, but was disastrously terrible nonetheless.

"Evangelion Unit 03," Big Boss' grave voice rumbled behind him "Your unit.

The boy said nothing; for there were no words he could muster right now. The Commander put a hand on his shoulder, reassuring.

"You're part of our organization now, Touji" Big Boss said, taking a drag from his cigar "Welcome to Outer Heaven."

The massive black Evangelion seemed to be staring down to them.

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**Author Notes 2:**

And so it ends. This chapter was originally intended to be a part of the previous one, but I felt that one was big enough already so I split it in two. This is quite a turning point in the fic. You could say that season 1 is over now. All the pieces are in place, with Outer Heaven already formed, Big Boss fully in the game and with Evangelion units of his own to boot. On the other side, Snake and soon Otacon are here, and NERV now has help from them. SEELE is no more, but Keel lives and he'll make one last attempt at Instrumentality if he can, and if he's capable of fooling the Patriots with his plot.

What comes next is the aftermath of the battle, with character development and the such. No more battles for a while, but I felt this was enough fighting for now. Soon I'll be adding flashback chapters that tell us the story behind many things and how NERV is more deeply connected to Big Boss and his men than anyone thinks.

I hope you liked this, and as usual, any comments will be gladly received and answered. Thanks for reading.

Devil Boss


	15. Aftermath & Trials

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own any of the characters from the Evangelion and Metal Gear Solid universes; they belong to Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, GAINAX Studios, Hideo Kojima, Shoji Shinkawa, Kojima Productions and Konami Studios.

**Author Notes:**

I'm finally back! I know this update took longer than usual, but there were a few reasons for that. And one of them is, I finally got a decent draft of the ending of this fic! Up to this point, I just had the concept in my mind, but now it's done and that's something great since I know where exactly the fic's heading. It took me some time to do it, hence my lateness in updating. The other big reason is that life got to me this time, and my time to write was sparse. That should be over by now, so I'll be resuming the normal pace of one chapter each month at the least.

This chapter was actually quite nice to write. Otacon comes back, the characters interact, and the plot moves forward some... good stuff for me. And of course, Mana's fate is revealed here. I'm quite happy with how it turned out, and I certainly hope you'll agree with me. This chapter has some flashbacks, and soon there'll be a full episode devoted to them. So, to end my rambling, I hope you'll like this chapter.

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**Chapter 13: Aftermath & Trials**

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"Well, well, hello, my dear..."

Ritsuko Akagi would have never even visited this man if it weren't because he had the strangest anatomy she had ever seen in her life, and unwrapping the mysteries beyond his healing capacities may be extremely useful for NERV in the future. Yes, the creature only known as Vamp was something that could have come right from someone's nightmare, a monster, an alien, but a very useful one. And given his propensity to attack NERV members, going so far as to wanting to kill a teenager, Ritsuko didn't have many qualms about using him as a guinea pig.

But it was the place, the setting, the scene itself that seemed to be a prank from life for her, for even though he was strapped tight against a metallic bed with massive iron cuffs guarding his body, and she was free, with a handgun in her pocket, a full security detail on the other side of the oppressively dark room they were in, and full control of the situation, she was clearly threatened and frankly frightened, and he seemed to draw some malicious pleasure of the whole ordeal.

The man had no problems in making his dark joy known. He was unashamedly staring at her legs, completely uncaring of how obvious it was. Ritsuko hadn't been this chilled in a long time by now, and she regretted her habit of wearing tights and a skirt to work. Pants would have worked better with this disgusting bastard. That smile he wore on his face, mocking, lustful and aggressive, as if he could kill someone grinning like that; it almost made her gag. Sometimes he'd close his eyes with a grin, as if imagining what he would like to do, things that Ritsuko was best not thinking about. She shivered, and walked forward to him, willing to make this quick and get the hell out of this freak's presence.

"Hmmm..." Vamp sighed softly when the syringe entered his left arm on the inner side of the elbow; this wasn't the first way someone injected him with some substance by far. He'd been NERV's lab rat ever since he was captured: barely two days had gone since that and he'd already been subjected to a whole battery of tests and experiments that would have sickened or killed anyone else. But he didn't mind that. He saw the female doctor stiffen when he inhaled loudly with his nose, and knew he had her in his grasp. Yes, her fear was clear for him to see, to feed upon "Funny smell, doc..." he spoke, and even though the doctor made a truly admirable effort and didn't even flinch, he saw her skin get a shade paler than before "I won't forget it..."

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Tohiro Mikami, highly trained security guard, now working for Section 2 and in charge of this new prisoner along with twenty other men, had never seen Doctor Ritsuko Akagi loose her composure, not even once, no matter the situation. That changed when he saw her leave the prisoner's room, her face looking greenly pale, and when she moved fast to a garbage can and threw up with a loud gag.

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It would be half an hour before Ritsuko managed to compose herself and return to her duties. Her heels made a sound that resonated in the empty halls and corridors of the Hospital Wing of the Geo Front. The place was quiet now, with most patients taking an afternoon nap and the nurses idling in their places with not much to do.

Even though Ritsuko wasn't one to hesitate much, she found herself spending some time before daring to open the door and enter the man's room. Yes, they had met already, and he had been nothing but compliant, and yet... Raiden was a man that would unerringly carry a certain air of danger, no matter his intentions. Sighing, Ritsuko opened the door and got inside.

And there he was, sitting on his bed, looking at the door as if perfectly aware of her presence even before she touched the knob, hooked to many machines, all state of the art, and yet outdated compared to him, looking almost obsolete in his presence. This man, if he still retained that condition... he was the most advanced product of human science aside from the EVAs. In a sense, he strongly reminded her of the Evangelion themselves. A Cyborg, not machine but not fully living, a beast made by men that could defy any semblance of common sense, and fight like no one else.

It was hard to admit that she felt attracted by him, all that technology; all that might, that reflected man's genius. Ritsuko blushed slightly, realizing how close to a fetishist she sounded.

She walked next to him, keeping professionally calm. He opened his eyes and looked at her, in a calm way that did help her ease a bit. Despite his bizarre appearance, the man known as Raiden was quite polite, if not silent.

"Good morning, Raiden," Ritsuko said. Normally, she wasn't the one in charge of the hospital wing. She had more pressing things to do. And yet, this man's physiology was so baffling she was the one in charge of him, given her qualifications made her the best suited for the task.

He nodded to her, stiffly but nicely. His blue eyes now were so comely, so unlike the red ones he had displayed after the battle, shining so evilly that many almost panicked at the sight of him, even though Snake had vouched for him and the battle itself proved him to be on their side.

"Well, you're in decent shape, I'll say," Ritsuko said, reading from the screens around the ninja "But you're loosing blood from all the small injuries you sustained during the battle. It's a white blood I've never seen before..." she trailed off, fascinated.

"Artificial blood," he talked at last, softly, with a low tone that echoed gravely "To keep my body functioning properly and reject any nanomachine activity. I lost my blood years ago."

"I see," Ritsuko nodded. She had read about things like this: in the wake of the Second Impact, human experimentation had been performed constantly by many people that took advantage of the desperate times; everyone was too busy to worry about some few people who had been used as guinea pigs, and the results of those investigations had been quite useful for the right people, so the perpetrators were seldom punished "That does present a problem, though. We are going to need more of this artificial blood if we are to help you, and since this technology is mostly unknown to us, I'm afraid there isn't much we can do now. You would do us and yourself a favour if you told me where we can get some better insight in the matter."

He gave her a penetrating look, and the woman found herself slightly perturbed by the intensity of his blue eyes, for she knew he had read her intentions. Raiden was, after all, a very useful subject for investigations, and a lot could be learned from studying him and the technology that had made him possible.

However, the cyborg had to admit it wouldn't be long before the enhancement programs used on him and Gray Fox became known to NERV as well. Technology did have a way to spread sooner or later after all.

"Doctor Drago Pettrovich Madnar," he said at last, looking away "He knows. He saved my life. He's in Prague 3 now."

"I see," Ritsuko repeated "Very well then, Raiden, I'll be performing the rest of your check up and then you can go back to rest."

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The door closed behind her and Ritsuko sighed in relief. Raiden was silent, and polite, but the air could turn so thick around him... But she couldn't complain. She had learned some very revealing things about him, and the mystery behind him.

Dr. Drago Pettrovich Madnar... now that was something interesting. The Commander would be returning the next day; Ritsuko was sure this little bit of information would catch his eye.

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"So, Mr. Pliskin, I can't believe I'm saying this given your condition, but you're cleared to go," Ritsuko said, shaking her head slightly, but smiling a bit. At least this patient had some semblance of normality compared to the last two. But her earlier beliefs of him had been crumbled when she learned a thing or two with the physical tests she had put him through on his first days in NERV's service. A man that was a full clone of Big Boss, engineered for war. She would have been sickened by the idea if it weren't because of Rei being a clone made for a far worse purpose.

"So, I'm good then?" Snake said, popping his neck.

"If you can call good having a still healing gunshot wound in your left shin, three cracked ribs, a nearly dislocated jaw and a lot of bruising from physical blows and explosions, then yes. I just don't believe you're still conscious, or alive for that matter," she grunted sternly "But I'm sure you'd sneak out of the hospital if I tried to keep you here any longer, right?" she received a charming grin in response "Right," Ritsuko almost chuckled "But seriously, I want you to take good care of yourself in the following days, Snake. No more fighting, no demanding exercise, just get plenty of rest and don't exert yourself, understood?"

"Got it," Snake said "Don't worry doc, I've been through worse. But..." his face hardened, and something almost sad shone in his eyes "The test results... how old am I truly, Doctor?"

"You are forty three years old, officially..." Ritsuko started slowly, unsure of how to say this "But... your body is fifty years old, Snake," the man hung his head low at that "And I'm afraid it's only going to get worse. It's... accelerated aging."

"How long do I have?" stern, resilient words. He'd allow himself nothing more.

"Five years," Ritsuko said softly "At best. That is if you don't fight anymore and start to take good care of yourself. I'm sorry Snake, your body seems to have been made this way. There's no foreign cause for this."

"That bad, huh," Snake shook his head sourly. His right hand moved fast and suddenly there was a pack of cigarettes in it, an item that he shouldn't be in possession of. He was on the process of lighting one up when Ritsuko snatched it away.

"You should drop these," the woman said "It's precisely the kind of thing that will shorten your life span, Snake."

"What's the point?" he answered grimly "It seems I'm dead anyway..."

Ritsuko looked away, feeling inexplicably guilty of his state. It was foolish to feel bad about it, she hadn't caused it, and he wasn't accusing her of that... but she felt bad regardless. Being honest with herself, she did know why. Rei Ayanami and Solid Snake were alike in this, both made by men, created with a purpose. And she despised Rei, because of what she was, of what she had, but most of all because she never acted, she never seemed to have a life at all. Ritsuko felt something close to hatred for the girl at times, even though she knew that hatred was irrational and the girl didn't deserve it; a part of her always felt bad after one of the Dummy Plug tests they forced Ayanami to do, or the horrible experiments that she had ruthlessly performed on her. And here was another being made in a similar fashion, and had been treated the same way, but one that fought back and had a personality, a man that could get loyalty from others, a man that she regarded with respect. He was Ayanami, one Ayanami that seemed to have life in him, and a reflection of what Rei could get to be if treated better. He was the reminder that even clones could be persons, and it stung her deep down, because NERV's clone didn't get that recognition from her. If Snake was a person, then Rei was one too, and Ritsuko had never given her that treatment.

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She exited the room a few minutes later, after giving Snake some pills and instructions on how to help his body heal in the following weeks. He had accepted them, as well as the bad news regarding his shortened life span. His will was something truly impressive, and almost tragic to watch.

But Ritsuko hadn't come out of these three meetings with the West's most impressive warriors without learning a few things about herself. And this last visit had left her with a renewed sense of purpose. She wouldn't be putting her whole attention into this - she had a lot of duties to perform - but maybe there was something she could do about this. Snake was a clone, just like Rei. And it was time she started doing something good, something that didn't make it hard to sleep at night, when the room was dark and the walls seemed to close in on her, alone in her bed. She would treat Rei better, treat her like a person. That was something she decided. The other thing was, she would see if she could prolong Solid Snake's lifespan some more. It was the least she could do, for him and herself. A way to atone for her and the unrestrained science's sins.

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It wasn't often that Asuka hesitated. But things were as they were, and the present situation was complex enough to demand some careful attention.

She had been given permission to leave her room and walk around a bit, maybe even visit some other patients if she felt like it, which was what she was doing. But this particular patient was quite... unorthodox, and it took her a good amount of willpower to twist the handle and open the door to his room.

There he was, hooked to many advanced machines, maybe meant to check on his signs, or to study him, or to restrain him. The Cyborg Ninja, the second Cyborg Ninja, the one that had appeared in the nick of time and saved the day. The one that, if she recalled straight, had pulled her out of the Entry Plug, carrying her in his arms.

But all of those memories combined didn't make him appear any less frightening nonetheless. Asuka now understood why pretty much all the nurses in the hospital just refused to check on him. She was glad his eyes weren't shining with red, though.

"Ahem," Asuka coughed, not to claim attention - he was already looking at her with penetrating eyes - but to clear her throat and try to ease herself enough to say what she'd come to say "You're Raiden, right?"

He just nodded in response. However, the gesture was more than enough when a part of her had been expecting him to jump and tear her apart with his bare hands. It was human, and soft enough to compel more words from her. Reassured, Asuka kept going.

"So, I don't really know w-who you are," she caught herself before saying what instead of who "But you arrived just in time, and you saved me. Without you, Snake and I would have lost the battle," it wasn't easy to admit this, but Asuka was a person that held honour in high esteem and she felt she needed to say the truth this once "So, thank you. For everything you did."

Raiden hung his head low "I am a warrior," he stated lowly, letting his tone become grave and forlorn "Fighting is what I do best. And I wouldn't have left you there to die alone. You didn't deserve that."

The hand placed on his shoulder surprised him to the point of being startled. It had been years since he had human contact. He raised his head to see a proud look on the girl's face. Almost reminded him of his teen years, when he was training to be a part of the Force XXI trials.

"So what's your name?" Asuka asked powerfully, letting her confidence slip back into her voice.

"Raiden," was all the response she got. But somehow the cyborg already knew she wouldn't be satisfied with that.

"Nein," the redhead grunted "Not that name. Your name. Your real name. What is it?"

It was alien to have this talk. Raiden felt strange inside. Almost... human. It was a long lost feeling. He shook his head and stared out the window, recalling...

"Jack."

Asuka smiled brightly.

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"Wow, this is... incredible!" Snake wasn't one to give praise often, but when he did, he really meant it.

"Haha, you think so?" Shinji asked with a nervous laugh. They were sitting at the table in Misato's apartment, eating dinner with Rei as their company. Shinji felt relieved Snake and Rei had decided to join him for dinner; with both Asuka and Misato in hospital, the apartment was empty and that was an unpleasant thought right after the bloody battle that had taken place a few days earlier. Snake had joined him out of a slight sense of duty that told him he should keep an eye on the kid, and Rei had come because Shinji had invited her over. Now that she lived next to his apartment, they were starting to get used to share some time together; he was certainly glad for that.

"Yeah!" Snake seemed almost bewildered "I haven't had this good a meal for a long time by now!"

He was drinking some beer with the food and for an instant Shinji pictured him as some sort of male Misato eating in her place. Really, what was it with his cooking that made adults so content? It was as if they weren't able to take care of their primary needs.

"I agree," Rei said in her low, almost inaudible voice "You make a great Okonomiyaki."

"Well, thanks!" Shinji scratched the back of his head "I'm glad you could come for dinner."

"Sure," Snake replied with a calm grin "You can certainly cook a lot better than I do."

"What about you, Rei?" Shinji asked the pale girl "Do you know how to cook?" she lived alone, he mused, so she should know how to take care of herself. But on the other hand, her old apartment had been a mess, so maybe she didn't.

"I know the essentials to keep myself nourished," she said after some time in thought, confirming Shinji's fears "Isn't that sufficient?"

"Sounds like you eat Field Rations daily, Rei," Snake said, shivering at the memory of the nutritious but highly distasteful items. He'd eaten raw snakes that tasted better than those.

"Yeah!" Shinji cut in "There's more to cooking than nourishment, Ayanami. You shouldn't neglect your needs like that."

"I..." she frowned slightly, such a small change in her face that it was almost invisible "I do not know how to prepare anything else."

"That's not right," Shinji said shaking his head "So, hmm, how about I prepare your lunches from now on?"

"That won't be necessary," Rei whispered, blushing slightly while Snake smiled.

"It won't be a problem," Shinji tried to reason with her "I cook almost every night here, and sometimes prepare Asuka's lunch too. Making yours too doesn't make any difference to me, Ayanami." Rei pondered his words in silence for some time, something the boy had already grown used too. As if she was thinking of the best thing to say.

"Thank you," she muttered at last. Shinji smiled brightly.

The rest of the dinner passed rather nicely, even if neither of the three was a great conversationalist. Rei had excused herself first, since she had a synch test early in the morning. Snake offered to accompany her to NERV the next day and then the girl was gone, leaving both men alone.

They were now looking at the city from the balcony. Misato's apartment had quite a view of the city from there, and the night was quite warm, as per post Second Impact standards. Even though it was starting to get late, many lights were on in the large city, with the streets well lit and many houses bathed in light.

"Misato showed me the city on my first day here," Shinji started, a pensive look in his face "But despite how beautiful it is, at night it still looks very lonely."

"Man fears the darkness, and the unknown," Snake said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin with one hand "We build protections and create lights to feel better about ourselves, and placate our fears. Just so that we don't have to face the dark."

"Rei said something like that once," Shinji said after a short silence. They stared at the city for some time.

"Thank you for tonight, Shinji," Snake said at last "It was a nice evening."

"I-it was the least I could do," the boy answered meekly, looking down.

"What do you mean?" Snake asked bluntly, wanting the young man to snap out of his subdued demeanour.

"Well, you know, after your fight with Big Boss and all that..."

"That wasn't your fault," Snake said, shaking his head "You don't have to make amends for something you didn't cause."

"But I did cause it!" Shinji blurted out, looking up at once, his eyes wide. Snake raised his eyebrows and the young man looked down again, his right hand clenching and unclenching rhythmically "It was my fault..."

"It's about Mana, right?"

The question seemed to turn the air cold almost instantly. Shinji's back stiffened, and he said nothing for a short while, aware that Snake had nailed the core of the issue with his words. The man waited patiently, lighting up a cigarette now that they were out of the living room.

"I thought I could trust her," Shinji whispered "She had become my friend; she just seemed to care... And then I found out that she had befriended me so that Big Boss could use me later on," he almost sighed the words, bitterly, but deeply hurt. That was the thing with him, no one approached unless it was out of interest. He piloted EVA for that reason, and yet, it seemed even that wasn't enough. Something inside him seemed to rebel at the thought, and he snapped to the air while Snake kept quiet and let him vent his thoughts "So what's the point then? Why should I bother if all I do is always conditioned by what others want? Why should I care if people just approach me because they have a use for me? If nobody cares... why should I care back?"

Snake looked away, both to think and to give Shinji the chance to say more. He didn't, and the older man felt the need to explain himself as best as possible.

"Had you asked me that question fifteen years ago, I would have said you shouldn't," he said at last, gravely, blowing smoke and then throwing the cigarette away "But Shinji... you're better than that. I was put in your same situation during the early years of my career. And I thought and felt the same way you do now. I didn't want to approach anyone, didn't want to relate to them, because I only got hurt every time they betrayed me. It all came to the point in which I couldn't take it anymore."

"And what did you do?" Shinji asked. Snake seemed to have some soft side if he spoke like that. For a moment, they both had looked alike, standing in the balcony.

"I left," was the curt answer, short and yet conveying so much meaning, the two words carrying an impulse, a glimpse to the past and to a desire they both shared deep within, that of lonely peace "Not just the military, but everything. Any sparse friends I had, any acquaintance, anyone that remembered me, everything. I left it all behind. I lived alone afterwards, for many years. My only human contact was when I seriously needed to get supplies in order to survive for the next months. And that was it. I was alone in the middle of Alaska, drinking too much. I lived there for many years; many years wasted trying to hide from everyone. And I can't right that mistake now, no matter if I wish it. I can only try to learn from it, and tell others about it." He sighed, his mind wandering to his talk with Ritsuko earlier on. Five years. He had five years left, and he would grow old in them. He had spent nine years in Alaska, almost twice as much. His prime, wasted. "I know what you're going through better than you imagine, Shinji, and believe me when I tell you that pretending not to care for anyone, closing yourself from others will lead you nowhere. You'll be wasting your life, and you won't get second chances often."

Some time was spent in quietness as the younger man processed the older's words.

"I'll try to keep that in mind," Shinji whispered at last. Snake could be very comforting at times, despite his quite blunt way of saying things. The young man wondered if his father shared that trait, or if he really was as cold as he looked.

"I'm sure you'll make the right choice," Snake nodded "You're a good man, Shinji."

"Why do you say that?"

"I know I tied Kirishima well," Snake said simply "Those knots don't come off easily."

He didn't need to say anything else, and neither pressed the issue further. After some time spent in thoughtful silence, Snake decided to call it a night and get back to his apartment. Shinji bode him farewell with his soft demeanour, but even though he had a lot in his mind, things didn't look as grim for him anymore. The situation was terrible, worse than ever still, but this time, he felt more... at ease with himself. And for someone like him, that was priceless.

.

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.

"You know, I'm starting to understand why Shinji hates this ceiling so much."

Snake chuckled and sat in a chair next to Misato's bed. The woman was hooked up to a few machines that pumped painkillers in her blood, but otherwise she was wide awake and was expected to make a full recovery.

"So, how're you holding up, Misato?" Snake asked, giving her hand a slight squeeze as a greeting and causing a small blush in her face.

"I'm okay, all things considered," Misato said, feeling slightly awkward "Ritsuko keeps telling me how lucky I am to be alive and all that, but I'm not so sure..." she sighed dramatically "They'll be giving me painkillers and I'll have to change my diet a bit," she made an unhappy noise, reflecting over how they had told her to drink less, something she wouldn't mention here.

"Comes with the job," Snake commented "Shinji sends his regards and Asuka... sends her regards as well," her knowing look told him she didn't quite believe that last part.

"Right," Misato said knowingly. Shinji had visited her several times in the three days she'd been in hospital, even though Misato's injuries weren't life threatening and the woman herself assured him there was no need to check on her all the time. He apologized, but did it anyway, which just made Misato melt. As for Asuka, she had been hospitalized as well, which made her quite cranky. The redhead hadn't restrained herself when she was first allowed to leave her room and visit her commanding officer, giving her a piece of her mind like only she could "So, how's Shinji doing all by himself?"

"Not bad, and he's not all alone," Snake pointed out "He invited me to have dinner yesterday. I don't know if you taught him Misato, but he's one hell of a cook," so lost he was in the memory of a good meal - neither he nor Otacon were magnificent cooks - that he completely missed Misato's greenly face at the mention of her cooking skills "He's been spending some time with Rei, too. I think it does him good to know that he has people looking out for him."

"That's good," Misato mused tiredly "I'm glad..." but her face was still stressed, Snake could see.

"Can I ask you a personal question, Snake?" Misato said after a long sigh, looking at him with a clean face. Her eyes were indeed beautiful.

"Sure," Snake said, raising his eyebrows "What is it?"

"Do you..." she started before lowering her voice "Do you have one of those smokes you carry around here?"

"So that's how it is, huh," Snake shook his head with a conspiratory grin "These hospitals can be hell sometimes..." he pulled out his box of cigarettes and handed one to the woman before lighting it up himself. Misato took a few drags before exhaling in relieved pleasure.

"I don't usually smoke," she told him "Just occasionally, you know. But with all that's been going on here, I just needed it."

"No one is judging you, Misato," Snake answered "You should calm down. You've done more than enough to warrant everyone's support; the Children are lucky to have you on their side."

"The Children..." Misato closed her eyes, stressed "This whole thing should have never happened in the first place. As if they didn't have enough to worry about with the Angels, now they have other people trying to kill them as well. And Shinji... he's got it worse, I think. He never wanted to be a part of NERV, and yet it's that girl Mana that befriended him of all people and then betrayed him..." she was silent after that, and Snake knew why: Mana had ran away during the time Snake and Misato battled Big Boss, knocking Shinji out from behind while he made his way to NERV. That was what Shinji had said when asked about where he had been during the incident, and everyone was too busy to press for more details since all parties involved had been hurt in the tussle. Misato sighed tiredly "Not to mention that other boy, Suzuhara, defecting to Big Boss' side. I don't think Shinji will be up to that. I'll tell him he just left the city with his family."

Snake rose his eyebrows "What?" he gasped "You're going to lie to him after all he's done?"

Misato's raised voice pointed out that she also had mixed feelings about the idea.

"What do you want me to do, Snake? Tell him his best friend, one of the few he has is now fighting for the people that almost killed us all? It would destroy him!"

"No it wouldn't," Snake said, shaking his head "That kid is green, but he's tougher than he looks. Even I can't believe some of things he's done already; by now, anyone else would have long left this city. Tell him the truth, Misato. If you keep this from him, he'll find out anyway later, and he won't be happy with you for lying to him," Misato hesitated after those words and Snake pressed the advantage with a grave voice "You ask him to be an adult and fight for us all. Then you've got to reciprocate in turn, and not treat him like a child. Don't keep secrets from him; saying you do it for his own good is an insult to his achievements."

"You... you may be right," Misato said, keeping her head low both in thought and in a slight but still present sense of shame "I guess it's hard to remember he isn't a child anymore, nor has he been ever since he came here..." she shook her head and looked out the window in the room, watching the yellowish light pour through the window, which faced the huge Geo Front "And he would find out sooner or later, anyway. So I guess you saved me from making a stupid mistake, Snake. Thank you."

"Huh," Snake coughed, feeling slightly uncomfortable. There was something penetrating about Misato's look; it was too clean a glance for a man that was so unused to human relations "I've had my share of those, believe me..."

"That's hard to believe..." Misato contradicted softly "I've been told what you did after I was knocked out in the battle, Snake. I... I think it was probably the noblest thing anyone ever did for me," she looked down at her hands, suddenly feeling ashamed of herself "God knows I can't understand why you went out of your way to keep me alive, knowing how useless I was."

"Don't talk like that," he rebuked her sternly.

"I think you were right from the beginning, I was only a nuisance to you. Had I left with Shinji, maybe the war would be over..."

"Don't jump to conclusions!" Snake said irately. He sighed and took a moment to calm himself "Misato, it's no use dwelling on the past. You just have to learn from it. But take my word; I wouldn't have survived had you refused to come with me. There was no way I would have beaten Big Boss and all his forces by myself."

"I... yeah," Misato said softly, seeing the reason behind his argument "I suppose I did help some, right?" she smiled, prompting a grin in return "But still," Misato said, placing her hand on top of Snake's "Thank you, Snake."

.

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.

It didn't bode well for Asuka to come back home after four days and find Shinji calmly cooking in the kitchen. True, he had offered to pick her up and she had refused, but he should have done it nonetheless. The fact that he was preparing her favourite dish didn't entirely make up for it, although she did feel slightly inclined to forgive his other faults after a delicious meal.

However, neither was able to battle the awkwardness in the air, looming over them ever since they came into each other's presence. They couldn't pretend nothing had changed after what had happened. Shinji had avoided making eye contact with Asuka throughout the whole dinner, which made the redhead's blood boil. But still, a part of her was thankful for that, since she didn't want to face the issue either. They moved to the living room, where Asuka picked the remote and surfed through channels in the TV, even though her mind wasn't on the task.

Leave it to Shinji to be the annoying one and breach the issue when she didn't want him to.

"It's too bad we couldn't do better," he said simply, with that face that indicated his thoughtful mood, a face Asuka had come to like despite herself.

"What are you talking about?" she said, trying to play dumb for a little while if only to dissuade him from talking anymore. But she was almost sure that wouldn't be the case: Shinji wanted to talk, she could see it "We won the battle, we all survived, and we even got that Raiden man to help us too!"

"Yes but... things won't be the same anymore..."

"How come?"

"Everyone left... Touji, Makoto... and..."

"Kaji, I know," Asuka said harshly. His eyebrows lifted at her resentful tone "Don't give me that look. He sold us out; why beating around the bushes? It's what he did."

"Doesn't it bother you at all?" Shinji whispered, looking at her.

Asuka knew perfectly right what was coming. Shinji wanted to talk about this, not because of himself, but because of her. It was that stupid endearing trait of his to just care about others. But Asuka didn't want to talk about this. She didn't want to think about it. But the issue would come up sooner or later anyway. And if she refused to breach the subject, things would grow awkward between them, more than they already were. Like it or not, Asuka didn't want that to happen. Shinji had grown on her in his own way, and if this was the price to pay, then so be it. She never backed down from an unpleasant task.

Asuka sighed angrily, looking away.

"Look Shinji," she said at last, fixing him with a clean glare "I'm going to be honest with you so you better pay attention. Don't ever repeat any of this to anyone, understood?" he nodded, somewhat nervous "I have no real family. I was picked by NERV when I was five, and from there on results were asked from me. The only thing expected of me was results, never anything else. No one cared for something else. So I didn't care for anyone either. I grew up alone, too fast, all by myself. By the time I was twelve, I was already an adult."

She flicked her hair away from her shoulder, looking away. Shinji was silent too, thinking. Was Asuka an adult at all? She looked the part, but in the dark nights things were different...

"Kaji was the first person who gave a damn about me," she went on, struggling to talk "And... he was also my chance at having something else in my life. He was open with me, and treated me well because he chose to do it himself. He was kind, and mature, and supportive. He was my guardian for years as well, and I could rely on him, too! Not like anyone else and certainly not like you, Third Child," she finished with a snarl that made Shinji cower, even though it hadn't been entirely serious "I actually trusted him. And then he stabs us in the back," she growled "He sells me out when I need him most, and Misato, and you and everyone else. So you can guess what I'd like to do with him if I had the chance."

"I'm sorry for what happened, Asuka," Shinji bowed his head sadly.

"It's not like it was your fault Kaji betrayed us, Shinji," she countered somewhat irately.

"Yeah, but I did cause all this mess," Shinji seemed determined to feel bad. Asuka was having none of it.

"Quit blaming yourself for everything, idiot," she snapped "You're not the center of the universe. What happened, happened, that's it. Not much to do about it now. At least we managed to save your sorry ass this time."

"Y-Yeah," he made an effort to smile some. It was his sad smile, which Asuka didn't like and had yet grown fond of "But still, I know you cared about Kaji. I'm sorry things went this way."

Asuka realized he wasn't apologizing, but rather stating sorrow at the current state of affairs. It was different than what he usually did, which at least amounted for something in his case. She sighed and decided to humour him with an answer. He, after all, had the decency to talk to her even when she didn't want to, just for her benefit.

"In a sense, he was also a way to prove myself and others that I was an adult. There weren't deep feelings beneath that, but I still kept going nonetheless because I never give up. But that didn't matter: I did like him anyway..." she went silent, deep in thought. Shinji was just looking at her. Asuka felt funny, and suddenly her eyes widened and she looked at him, enraged "And why am I telling you this!" she suddenly yelled, closing in on him, angry as hell. Talking with the Third Child about her feelings, just great! He had gone too far! "Urgh, you idiot! You can't do anything right! You didn't even get Kirishima to the Geo Front! I bet you let her walk away on purpose!"

Shinji paled.

Asuka's furious rant came to an abrupt halt as the girl realized Shinji wasn't babbling some denial, nor was he cowering from her. He had gone pale, and his hand was clenching and unclenching, his brow furrowed in nervousness. The girl's eyes widened hugely as she realized that what had simply been some way to vent her anger had been completely accurate in its accusation.

"You-You didn't..." Asuka was speechless "You... really did let her walk away?"

Shinji looked away. He made a motion to turn around and leave, but Asuka grabbed his arm. Kept him pinned. It felt like an eternity before he swallowed and made a very brief nod.

"...Why?" she managed to say. She needed to keep her head clear. Keep the confusion in check. The hurt, the disappointment, the anger.

"We... talked," Shinji answered at last. Asuka's grip on his arm was tight enough to hurt "She... was a victim too. A child like us."

"I'm not a child," Asuka hissed. Her grip on his arm tightened, eliciting a pained gasp from the boy. She didn't care "I'm not a child," she repeated "I'm an adult. I'm a fighter. I fought that girl myself, and believe me, she wasn't quite the victim," she exhaled, blowing some air, and yet nothing seemed to do the trick and diminish her growing fury "So you just talked," she said, squeezing him harder "You talked. About what? What did you talk about?"

"Asuka, you're hurting me!" Shinji said. He got a glare for an answer. It was the first real serious glare Asuka had ever given him. Her hand loosened its grip, and he backed away.

"What did you talk about?"

She had let go of his arm, but she hadn't released him. Shinji had never seen her so serious. It was frightening.

.

"So you see, we're not so different after all," Mana finished sadly "I don't have anything... anything to call my own. No possessions, no friends, nothing. All I have is myself. All I have is what I can do. And I can fight. That's all I can do. That's all I am."

"Mana... I..." Shinji was at a loss for words.

"We both have been forced to fight," Mana said "But at least, I fight for what I believe in. You don't even have that..." she sighed bitterly, and a smirk appeared in her lips "Big Boss gave me a home... but you, you are a slave to NERV and your father, and they don't care about you. Shinji, I wanted to help you even before I met you, just because seeing a person in your place makes me sick. But when I met you, and got to know you, my resolve became twice as big..." the boy was looking at her with such sad, intense eyes she knew she had his full attention now. So much hurt was written over his face, and she cursed herself for causing that in such an innocent person like him. But she kept eye contact, because more than ever she felt she had to convince him that she wasn't lying "You, Shinji... you're a good person. A better human being than any of us. Truth is, you don't even belong in this mess, in all this. Getting you out of NERV... it was the least I could do."

"Getting me out of NERV?" Shinji muttered "And then what? Just use me to win Outer Heaven's battles?"

"I... no," Mana said, full of remorse "Big Boss wouldn't have forced you to fight for him. He doesn't force me either. I do it because it's all I know and I want to help him. I owe him. Shinji... I... honestly never meant any harm to you."

He looked away, saying nothing.

"I suppose you're going to kill me now," Mana said sadly, not because she was about to die but due to the horrible situation "That's why you brought me here for, right? To kill me."

"No," Shinji answered.

.

"So she had been a test subject for the JSSDF?" Asuka asked, her eyes wide. A part of her felt pity for the girl, despite the massive amounts of hatred burying it.

"Yes," Shinji answered "A slave. She didn't have anything else. She just... didn't know anything else. Just like... Rei," - and you and I - a part of him wanted to add, surprising his conscious thoughts. But he refrained himself. Sometimes it was hard to tell what would set Asuka off, but he had a feeling this would do the trick just fine if he said it "Big Boss had given her a home, and freed her from the JSSDF, but that didn't help her getting a peaceful life... or a life altogether, in her words. I... I knew I had to do something."

.

Mana's restraints had been cut. Soft hands with a firm grip on a blade had set her free. So shocked she was she didn't do anything at all, simply staring at the boy slightly shorter than her with a paralyzed face.

"You're letting me go!" she was surprised beyond belief. Nothing could have prepared her for this. Mana knew Shinji Ikari was a good hearted man, but this was borderline idiotic. She had almost killed two of his comrades. She had held him at gunpoint and tried to kidnap him. She was a spy for the enemy for god's sake! And yet, he had just released her.

"Yes," Shinji answered, his voice, once shaky, started to find its strength back.

The girl couldn't do anything else. She was seeing Shinji Ikari like she had never seen anyone else. She was paying more attention to him now than in any other moment in her entire life. Everything about him, from his sad eyes, to his delicate hands and soft face, and his voice. She knew she had to remember this moment for the rest of her life.

"But listen to me, Mana," it was quite stunning to hear such powerful words from his normally shy and low voice "I'm letting you go now, too. So you owe me as well..." he paused, as if surprised of himself "And you have to pay me back for today."

She could merely nod, her mouth open and her eyes wide.

"You must retire from this war," Shinji deadpanned "Leave altogether. You can't come back here. You can't join anyone's side to fight the war. Any war. You have to find a new reason to live. And you're smart enough to do it," he nearly blushed at his last words, but now was not the time for that. He had to be a man... he had to be his own person, and walk on his own feet.

Mana's face was contorted in a shocked and pained strain. She felt as if she'd been punched in the gut. It was logical he would ask her to stay away from Outer Heaven, given that they were NERV's enemies. But he had gone further than that. He had forbidden her to fight any war at all. It was a terrible thing, like being asked to strop breathing. It was... so incredibly touching she really felt she could devote her life to it. It was awful and inspiring at the same time. He was releasing her... and unlike Big Boss, he was casting her away from her home, not giving her one. He was expelling her from the battlefield, the only home she ever had. And in doing so, he was putting more faith in her than anyone else ever had. He was fully trusting in her, just her, Mana Kirishima, and not her fighting abilities. He was telling her to stop fighting after releasing her, when both knew she could overpower him and get away with it. He was expelling her from any war when she was already free to disobey. And he was doing it all out of faith in her.

No one, no one, had ever done anything like that for her.

.

"And you let her go... just like that?"

"Yes," Shinji answered, standing straighter. Almost defying. Asuka wasn't sure if she liked that or not.

"How could you, Third?" it was the question she wanted to ask more than anything "She almost killed me and the First, and she caused a whole battle with her actions! And you let her go!"

"Yes!" Shinji yelled "Because I believed her! Because I believed in her!"

She slapped him. But her slap had been weaker than he had expected.

"You are an idiot," she hissed "You're an idiot. You let go an enemy spy who for all we know made up some sob story to deceive you. An enemy spy who has a lot of information about all of us."

Shinji said nothing for a while, holding his cheek with one hand and looking away "Will you turn me in?" he asked at last, frowning but still not looking at her.

"She almost killed me, you know," Asuka said coldly "And the First too. She beat the crap out of us and held us at gunpoint. But I suppose that you don't care about that, right?" Shinji's eyes widened and he looked at her, hurt written all over his face. Asuka felt a sadistic pleasure from that, even though her chest seemed heavy while she spoke "I won't turn you in," she said at last, making her disgust clear in her voice "I won't tell anyone about this conversation. For all intents and purposes, it didn't happen. But you're going to steer clear of me from now on. You're not going to approach me; you're not going to talk to me. Because all you are is a traitor."

She turned her back on him and left for her room in complete silence, without even sparing him a glance or a word. Shinji was left alone in the living room, feeling bad. But... he didn't feel as bad as he would have any other day. No, for he still believed in the girl he had released... for he still believed in her and himself enough to keep the guilt from drowning him.

Still, Asuka's words had hurt him a lot more than he would have liked. Shinji spent the rest of the night in his room, listening to his SDAT. He wished he were stronger, that Asuka's cold face and pained eyes didn't matter as much as they did. But he didn't regret his actions. Mana's last words had been some of the most touching things someone had ever said to him.

.

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.

Misato was happy to be out of the hospital, and to be in Snake's company since he'd been waiting for her release. The gesture lifted her mood a lot, and since they were neighbours she offered him a car ride home. They made idle chat as they travelled, with Misato's cheerful demeanour helping the otherwise quite silent Snake to open up and talk back.

When they got down the car, Snake's legs were slightly wobbly. He did like speed to some degree, but everything seemed to be spinning softly in his head now.

"Hmm Misato?" Snake asked as the woman got down the car with a glorious smile "How come you never get any fines - or downright arrested, he thought to himself - for driving like this?"

"It's this!" Misato said cheerfully, showing him her NERV ID... and pressing it against her chest.

"Ohhh..." Snake said, nodding "...a powerful combination." Misato's smile made him think she maybe even used that third element with the most resilient subjects.

There was a truck loaded with boxes near the entrance of their building. Taking a closer look, they saw it was a moving truck.

"It seems my partner has arrived," Snake said, nodding with a slight smile "He really has a lot of stuff."

"You should have seen the mess when Asuka arrived here," Misato answered in turn "So Hal Emmerich is here... He was the cofounder of Philanthropy along with you, right?"

"Yeah, nine years ago," Snake said. He eyed a box from afar and saw that it had 'Anime' written on the sides "Yep, that's definitely him," he said. Both went to the elevator while the truck's men kept getting stuff out of the truck. After a short ascension they reached Misato's floor, where Snake and Rei lived now as well. A skinny man was there, arranging some boxes at the entrance of Snake's apartment. He had slightly long black hair, stubble and glasses. While he wasn't bad looking, he slightly reminded Misato of one of Shinji's friends, Kensuke.

Both walked up to him and Snake coughed to get his attention. The man turned around and smiled.

"Oh, Snake, you're here!" Otacon said, pushing his glasses up. He walked to his partner and they did a strange hand salutation, an elaborate greeting born from boredom and too much time spent together. They finished by shaking hands.

"Misato, this is my partner Hal Emmerich," Snake said, turning to the woman.

"Pleased to meet you, Emmerich-san," Misato said, bowing politely.

"Oh, just call me Otacon," the geek said, bowing in turn, and pushing his glasses back up when they slid down "So you're Misato Katsuragi? Snake's only told me good things about you," he said, getting a grin from the woman and a snort from his partner.

"Wow, you speak Japanese very well," Misato complimented him "You don't even have an accent," unlike Snake, who had a flawless pronunciation but sounded a bit too harsh for a Japanese raised person.

"Well, I've always been a fan of Japanese culture," Otacon said humbly, eliciting a snort from his Philanthropy partner; 'Culture my ass,' Snake thought 'More like weird cartoons. At this rate, he'll need another box for that the next time we move.' "I'm sure I'll enjoy working with you, Katsuragi-san," Otacon was saying.

"Misato," the woman corrected him "I'm not one for formality. Makes me feel old."

"What? You're not old," Otacon said with his high voice "You're actually quite young, I'd say! I don't think there are many majors your age."

"Why, thank you," Misato grinned, making a V with her fingers.

"Hey Otacon," Snake interrupted, looking gruff "Why are MY boxes out here instead of yours?"

"Oh, that!" Otacon said nervously "Well you see, I kind of have a lot of stuff, you know," he scratched his head and pushed his glasses up again "The computers alone take a lot of space! And the room you picked was the largest; the other ones are much smaller, so I, hmm... decided to take the biggest room?"

"Without asking me first?" Snake scowled. Misato was clutching her ribs to prevent herself from guffawing. It was like watching two children argue.

"I didn't know when you would come back!"

"What does that have to do with anything!"

"MmmghHahahaha!" Misato bursted at last. She received two glares from her companions "I'm sorry! Please go on!"

"Hmmmrgh," Snake grunted something inaudible and shook his head "Otacon, maybe you needed the space but you can't take my room just like that. At least, do it the sporty way."

"The sporty way?" Otacon asked, and then comprehension dawned on him "Ohh, I see! We settle it with rock-paper-scissors?" he offered excitedly.

"That's not what I meant..." the man saw he was getting nowhere and sighed "All right, I'll get the rest of my stuff out of there," Snake grunted, knowing there were battles he wasn't mean to win. He got inside the apartment mumbling to himself.

"Rock-paper-scissors?" Misato asked with a teasing smile.

"He's terrible at it," Otacon chuckled. Misato giggled to herself.

"Does he always choose rock?" Misato asked. Otacon nodded, and the Major chuckled, adding that to the list of odd similarities between Snake and Shinji "So, what good things did he say about me?" Misato asked, smiling and standing a bit taller.

"Well, he said that you're hot-headed, reckless, bold and careless," the otaku said, good-naturedly. The seemingly harmless conversation suddenly turned ice cold when the Major's face changed to a stony look with blazing hot eyes.

"What." One word was more than enough to relay the level of threat she was now.

"Oh don't worry, he means nothing bad with that!" he could see he wasn't making his point clear enough, and hurried to add more "Really, he was complimenting you! You should have seen what he said of Raiden when he first met him. It takes a lot for Snake to call someone bold, and he never complained about you. You're kind of a first in that."

"Is that so, hmm?" Misato mumbled, not fully convinced. She entered the apartment, seeking Otacon's friend. Realizing he had made quite a mistake, Otacon sighed sadly. But there wasn't much he could do now.

"At least I didn't tell her that he said she has a great butt," he consoled himself.

"I heard that!" Misato said from inside the apartment, getting a yelp out of him.

The apartment was crowded with boxes and unpacked stuff. Misato walked further down the kitchen and living room, wondering if this man Otacon really had brought so much stuff with him. But as she made it to the rooms to see if she could lend a hand, she found a petite dark haired woman in the way.

The stranger was decidedly gorgeous. Misato took a quick glance to analyze her in the way only women were capable of. She was a bit short, but slender and perfectly shaped. Nice, cellulite-free legs, a slim waist, real reasonably sized breasts and an incredibly surgery-free cute face made her quite a sight to watch. She had beautiful round eyes that shone with innocent beauty and overall goodwill. She was almost sure this newcomer was Chinese, if her eyes didn't deceive her. All in all, quite a possible competitor.

"Ahh... ejem," Misato was left stunned by the young woman. She hadn't expected to find a stranger inside Snake's apartment "Who are you?"

"Ohh, you must be Misato Katsuragi," the woman said with a pleasant grin, snapping out of her confusion faster than the Japanese officer "My name's Mei Ling. I work with Dave and Hal."

"Dave?" Misato asked, struggling to understand and make some sense of the whole situation.

"Oh, I mean Snake," Mei Ling said with an apologetic smile "I came here today with Hal. I thought everything was cleared already..."

"O-Oh yes!" Misato said, straightening up and out of her stupor "Yes, of course! Doctor Emmerich told us he would come with a co-worker. I'm pleased to meet you, Ling-san" she bowed to the younger woman "I'm Major Misato Katsuragi, although you already knew that, didn't you?"

"Snake told me you live across the hall," Mei Ling gave her a very sweet smile. Misato had to fight off a blush; what was it with these people affecting her this way? "So I guess we'll be neighbours from now on."

"You'll live in this apartment too?" Misato asked a bit too fast. But the Chinese woman spared her the embarrassment and spoke normally.

"Yes," she smiled again "Since the apartment has three bedrooms. Hal will be taking the largest one, I'll take the other and Snake will get the spare," a grunt from inside said spare room proved that the alluded man wasn't too happy about that "It's nothing new, really," Mei Ling spoke modestly "Sometimes Philanthropy had to go through some rough adjustments; we're quite used to it."

"I see," Misato said simply, feeling at a loss for words.

"We'll be going to NERV later today," Mei Ling informed dutifully "Since me and Hal will have to meet one Doctor Akagi if we are to work together. From what I gather, NERV is every technician's dream."

"Well, yeah, there's a lot of very advanced stuff down there," Misato smiled, although she still felt lost. Engineering and all of that wasn't her thing "I'm taking the children to NERV today. If you want, I can give you two a lift this afternoon."

"Looking forward to it," Mei Ling grinned again.

.

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Five days had gone by since the battle with Big Boss. Lying on his bed in his small room, Shinji's mind was drifting from awareness to sleep. He turned to his side, and closed his eyes. Sleep invaded him, and yet his mind managed to come up with a memory with its last vestige of consciousness.

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Mana was free. She was standing near the shore, watching the water. Next to her, Shinji stood by the car, ready to come back to the madness he was forced to endure. Mana turned around to face him, and felt her chest fill with longing, longing to stay, or to take him with her, just to... see him again. But there was no time for that. She had to be strong. And it was with a strong voice that she spoke, her last words before turning around and walking away, bent on starting a new life.

"I won't tell anyone about this. For all intents and purposes, it didn't happen. But no matter what, I won't forget it, Shinji. I... thank you," the word had come out strained, and yet truthful, sincere in its meaning. It was one of the first times Shinji had heard those words be uttered for something he did, something unrelated to what others wanted him to do. It felt... nice. Mana had looked down for a moment after her last words, and then she had left. Just left, as if she was never there.

.

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**Author Notes 2:**

I know I know, there wasn't much in terms of direct action, nor did the plot move forward so much, but this character stuff is important too, I believe, so bear with me. It'll pay off later, of that you can be sure. After the events of the battle, I couldn't just have everyone moving on as if nothing happened. Hence this slow chapter.

Again, as it seems to be a custom of mine, the chapter had content that was passed to the next one. One very important scene with Ritsuko and Gendo, and then Rei takes a lot of importance too. All of that will be on the next update, as well as some insight in some characters and a small surprise.

I know this chapter seemed to focus quite a bit on Ritsuko, but that was so we could see things from someone else's perspective, something I found quite interesting to do. With all the fighting and spy games, we get stuck with always the same characters and it can become repetitive after a while, so writing from Ritsuko's point of view was a breath of fresh air to me.

Devil Boss


	16. Resolve

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own any of the characters from the Evangelion and Metal Gear Solid universes; they belong to Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, GAINAX Studios, Hideo Kojima, Shoji Shinkawa, Kojima Productions and Konami Studios.

**Author Notes:**

And so I return, dear readers. I'm glad to say that the fic is back on track, so don't expect two and a half months delays between chapters after this. Truth be told, I like this chapter quite a bit. It's everything the previous one was meant to be, and the plot moves forward quite a bit here. Really, no action but still a lot happens.

As usual, I thank you for your reviews. I like to answer them all, and here I make a point of showing my gratitude to those of you who have reviewed without an account, since I can't answer your reviews like the rest. Believe me, I take them into account, and they really mean a lot to me.

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**Chapter 14: Resolve**

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Commander Ikari rather liked some traits of Ritsuko Akagi. There was a reason he had picked her as a lover, aside from the use he still had for her. The woman was smart, and had drive, and was actually professional, which was something to appreciate in a base full of insolent and childish people. But still, there were also the small detail to get to know and learn to like as well. Like now; he had returned from his trip at last, after more than a week away and several meetings and operations that would ensure his position for some months, and the Doctor was briefing him on the details of her deeds in his absence. Yes, she was quite soothing to listen to, especially when she had that faraway look and just talked about things.

"I initiated the treatment for him and expect him to make a full recovery in four days. Truly, the real span of time needed for that would be three days, but we prolonged it to one more in order to have more time to analyze him and learn about his unique physiology."

The Commander hummed in agreement, and the Doctor went on. His mind, however, wasn't into her words, or her looks, or anything else remotely related to either. No, he couldn't help but muse over the one meeting he had four days ago, the one that had been fundamental to his plans now that SEELE was out of the picture. It was the cornerstone of his new plans, his way to adapt to change.

Four days ago, Gendo Ikari had talked with the Patriots, seeking their support against Big Boss and the world. Many people wanted NERV gone, and SEELE had been the only thing keeping him afloat in the past. Now, he had to make the Patriots assume that position. It was a risky gamble, but he had nothing to loose. Without support, NERV wouldn't last a second against Outer Heaven.

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_The Patriots were... different than what he had expected. He had somehow imagined them to be like the Council, a bunch of old men hiding beneath monoliths and trying to look important. Instead of that, he had gotten a hologram in a vast, seemingly endless room which he perceived to be shaped by Virtual Reality. The hologram itself changed, always mocking him: it had taken the shape of the Third Child first, then Big Boss, then - to his inner fury, although nothing showed in his face - Yui Ikari, and it had finally settled in Keel Lorenz, as if to stress the irony and also make a point. Just like with Lorenz, Ikari was the puppet here. He was powerful, but here he was just another pawn._

_He hadn't been as blunt as when speaking to SEELE. His lies had been protected by boldness with them, but the Patriots were an unknown variable to him and therefore he had to be more careful, more subtle in his approach. His lies had been protected by the truth: it was a testament to his cunning that he had been able to lie so smoothly, in such a way that none of his statements could be said to be lies at all. The most difficult thing, though, had been to convince them that he didn't have the same ideals and objectives than the late Human Instrumentality Council._

_"You've worked closely with SEELE for the past decade," the Keel-like hologram had said "Your goals ran close to those the council had. You were in possession of the same information they had, which in turn makes you as close to them as an individual can get."_

_"My wife," Gendo had said firmly "Died attempting to stop SEELE from causing Instrumentality. She gave herself up so that their scenario would never come to happen. My cause has always been the same as hers: to keep SEELE from reaching their goal, to stop them before they become gods," he hadn't lied there: part of his plan was to stop SEELE, while another part was to create Instrumentality himself, just as Yui had intended. No lies could be discerned in his words. Just the way he planned it._

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"Also, he mentioned a Doctor Drago Pettrovich Madnar, the one man capable of healing him fully, which makes him the one man who understands this new technology," Ritsuko kept going. The Commander would never say it out loud, but she was cute in her own way when she rambled like that "We have already contacted him and I struck correspondence with him on a professional basis. He has agreed to help us from his home in Prague 3, and..."

This was interesting, and had the times been less busy he would have paid closer attention, but right now he couldn't keep himself from mentally going through the events of the meeting. Yes, acquiring the means to create Cyborg Ninjas was useful, especially for one of his pet projects, but he had more pressing issues to think of now. So, he let his attention on the Doctor while his mind went over his talk with the Patriots. He was long used to multitask.

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_"The JSSDF," he had said plainly "Was SEELE's plaything. Once the council disappeared, so did the working structure of the Japanese military forces. Big Boss clearly planned for this to happen, which is why he built his base here in Japan, where resistance would be at a low after he dealt with SEELE," that analysis had been true, or at least that's what he and Fuyutsuki had concluded in their long talks. It had been a smart move, he had to admit. But it had been perfect for his needs as well, if he knew how to play his hand, and there was no player like Gendo Ikari "At this point, NERV is the only thing that stands between you and Outer Heaven's complete dominance of the eastern countries. With the Patriots' help, we can strengthen ourselves and act as your line of defense against Big Boss."_

_There were times he wanted to congratulate himself for his ingenuity. Just like that, he had made himself useful. He already had something to offer to the Patriots, thus getting some small say in things. And he was just getting started._

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Akagi was completely unaware of his silent musings. She was sure he was keeping complete focus on her words. Women were such gullible creatures if you played them right.

"Commander, this technology is such that not only can it be applied to humans, some of these concepts are possible to implement even in our Evangelion," the doctor was getting excited, he could tell, even though she hardly showed any sign of that. But he was quite gifted when it came down to reading people "And about the project you devised, with Madnar's help and keeping Raiden close to us, we should be capable of achieving the desired results in about two months..."

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_"And there's also the Angels," he had gone on, keeping his face stone cold "SEELE was able to deal with them through us. Without SEELE, NERV won't last, and without NERV, the Angels will win. I can become this Committee's best ally to deal with their threat."_

_They hadn't responded immediately, and he had mused about what they were planning._

_After all, this was the biggest game of lies and deceit. Who was to say they didn't know about his true intentions as well and just let him plot for their own ends? It was a feasible possibility, an actual, possible scenario. But that was okay. He was quite sure the Patriots were well aware of his intentions. They had to be allowing him to live for their own ends. What he was counting on right now was to further those ends for a short while, simply to get the support needed to keep NERV existing and keep his position as Commander. He only needed some help to regroup and organize things after SEELE's fall. Then, he would deal with the Patriots just as he'd done with SEELE, by pretending to be their servant and plotting behind their backs. Sure, some of their spies would appear sooner or later - he felt particularly proud of his spy in Outer Heaven, and the way he'd dumped the Patriots' own spy into Big Boss' ranks - but he was confident he could deal with them._

_Yes, those had been tense minutes, the finale of a meeting that would decide everything. But the Patriots had agreed. Big Boss, it seemed, was a greater foe to them than Gendo Ikari was. The Commander wasn't stupid, though: he would never be as arrogant as to believe the Patriots had no idea of his real intentions. They weren't so idiotic as to blindly trust him and believe his words. No, he had been chosen for a reason, of that there was no doubt. He would put himself to the task of figuring out what did the Patriots plan for him, and why had they accepted his proposal so easily._

.

"... and that concludes my report, Commander," Akagi was saying "Is there anything else you want me to do?"

"Yes," the man answered "I want you to make a thorough check of the MAGI System."

If the woman was surprised, she didn't show it. She was long used to receive orders without any explanations. The Commander went on.

"The reports of the battle indicate that the man known as Revolver Ocelot incapacitated the Second Child by using her own nanomachines against her. Is this true?"

"Yes, sir," Ritsuko fidgeted uncomfortably "We are not yet sure how. He caused some cause of disruption in the system that made the nanomachines release all the restrained emotions and stress of the battle on the pilot. She was soon incapacitated by the following attack from Metal Gear RAY."

"Why is it that we weren't prepared for such an attack, Doctor?" his voice didn't raise at all, and yet his displeasure was more than clear. It was frightening to see how much he could say without saying anything.

"We never considered the possibility that anyone could sabotage the nanomachines like that," the Doctor was nervous, and clearly displeased with herself. She tried to explain herself better "The system is the best guarded program in the world, and as such is considered impossible to hack in any way. The nanomachines were added into the pilots' training program eight years ago. It was added as a way to maximize performance by erasing any small weaknesses which could hamper overall ability, like allergies or claustrophobia. Currently, Pilot Ikari is the only one who doesn't have them. The reason is that the current nanomachines are third generation, which also regulate mood swings and thought patterns, which would be highly disruptive to the synchronization process. The labs were working on a way to suppress that while keeping the improved efficiency, but with this recent show of our enemies' prowess..." she paused to take a drag of her cigarette, looking concerned "Truth is, we never thought this could happen."

"This is not a weakness our enemies should be able to exploit," the Commander stated gravely, not allowing any arguments in the matter "We must make sure this doesn't happen again, Doctor. You must remove the nanomachines from the First and Second Children, immediately."

"The... the backlash from that operation would devastate them, sir," Ritsuko said shakily, closing her eyes and shaking her head "It would be like going through detox, but to the highest limits. The process could kill them, I'm afraid. For now, the only thing we can do is try to develop a nanomachine suppressor; something to stop any adverse effects should the enemy use that tactic again. But, we need test subjects for that..."

"Use the First Child," the Commander said "If the process proves too risky, use her spares. You'll have all the resources you need, Doctor. Make it work."

"Yes sir," Ritsuko said faintly, without conviction but without doubt as well. She had her orders.

"Good," Ikari nodded "Now, come with me. There's something I want to show you."

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Terminal Dogma, yet again. Ritsuko would lie if she said the place didn't give her the creeps. Worse still, only three people were allowed in here, four if she counted Rei. And the place was massive: the EVA graveyard, Lilith's cross, the still developing Dummy Plug System, and more. It was the place where NERV's most secret investigations were carried out. Truth was, if anyone ever got to know about this place and spread the knowledge, NERV would be finished. The information was that sensitive.

The Commander led her to an unused lab deep down. The place was equipped with state of the art technology, something Ritsuko was glad for. But a closer look revealed the lab to be mostly focused in biology and genetics mostly, opposed to the digital field which she felt more comfortable with. But Ikari said nothing, guiding her to a table in the middle of the place, were something - which Ritsuko could only guess was a body - covered in a white sheet lay hooked to many tubes and machines.

They both walked up to the table. Not a man that concerned himself with appearances, Ikari took the sheet away swiftly. And Ritsuko gasped loudly before taking a step away.

"What the hell!" she wasn't one to curse often, not in the slightest. But this had done the trick for her. For she was staring at Big Boss' body.

The Commander merely stared at her. Blushing, Ritsuko closed in and took a better look.

The body, the man, was actually alive, but it wasn't Big Boss. This body still had the right eye, and the left one was missing instead. That aside, this man was a perfect duplicate of Big Boss. The old yet strong face, the silvery hair slicked back, the beard, the whole facial structure. Even the age was accurate, which puzzled the woman. Snake was a clone, but he wasn't this old yet. Could this be another one? A look at the rest of the body filled her with disgust. This man's body was thin, very thin. The muscle tissue was almost gone, there was no fat, and the skin was wrinkled and frail. Nothing like Big Boss, who Ritsuko knew to be in excellent shape. This one nearly looked like a skeleton.

"Solidus Snake," the Commander spoke "Our agents managed to acquire the body five days ago," that was one of the reasons he had taken so long to come back. Men like him didn't rely on one plan at the time, and getting Solidus' body had been a smart move from his part. The Patriots didn't know it had been him "He was kept prisoner by the Patriots in order to experiment with him. Aside from his frail physical condition, his spine has been severed by a High Frequency Blade and he is being kept in a coma by nanomachines," the body spasmed briefly, and Ritsuko felt the urge to gag. This was simply revolting. The Commander looked as indifferent as always "I have a use for this man, Doctor. Here's your test subject. Put him back in working condition."

And he left just like that, as if he had been referring to a machine instead of a living person.

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Her codec rang. Misato, which had been dozing off in her couch watching some soap opera on the TV, almost jumped in the air. True, the devices had come in handy several times already, but since they were placed in the ear and required no support at all she almost forgot she had it on. She took a breath to calm herself and placed a finger over her ear to start the communication.

She only got silence. But there was a person on the other side, since she could hear his or her breathing.

"Who are you?" Misato demanded at last.

"Katsuragi," a voice came at last, and from its robotic tone Misato realized the person on the other side was using a modulator. Just great. She stood up swiftly and went to her room, looking for her handgun. This couldn't be good.

"Identify yourself!" the woman demanded.

"My name is not important," the voice said dismissively "What matters is what I can tell you."

"What?" she stopped in her tracks, suddenly fearful. Pray god this wasn't another attempt at kidnapping one of her charges "What did you do?"

"Nothing, my friend," the voice came out as amused even though the modulator "I'm merely one of your fans. But there's a lot you don't know about what's really going on out there."

"What are you talking about?" Misato asked lowly. Suddenly her concerns ran another way: this person could be a spy, maybe inside NERV. The thought was worrying. She paid close attention.

"SEELE, the organization that ruled half the world and NERV," the voice said "Was destroyed a few weeks ago. But their leader, Keel Lorenz, still lives. He's under protection from the Patriots."

"Protection?" Misato gasped "But they were sworn enemies! Why would he get protection from them?"

"For the Patriots' own interests, of course," the voice answered "Many things are not what it seems."

"But who are you anyway?" Misato demanded again. She hated being this much in the dark "Why are you telling me this?"

"As I said, I'm a fan of yours," the answer was curt, and Misato felt amusement from the other side yet again "But you can call me Deepthroat. As for why am I telling you this, let's just say that our objectives run along in many ways."

"And what are those objectives?" Misato inquired.

"You don't need to know."

She could only grunt in annoyance at that. Christ, this guy certainly knew how to rile her.

"Hahaha," the voice had the gall to chuckle at her. Misato wanted to strangle him.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" she asked, expecting a dismissal to her question.

"You don't," the voice said "But you can try to check it yourself. You'll soon find I'm not lying to you, precisely when you report this to Commander Ikari and he checks that it's true," Misato felt cold all of a sudden. This man, woman, or whatever he was seemed to know a lot about NERV's inner workings. That wasn't good, not at all. It was clear they had a leak somewhere. Misato didn't dare to start casting suspicion now, not at these dark times "But what I'm about to tell you is even more important than that. Tell me Major, what's NERV real objective?"

"To fight off the Angels and prevent Third Impact," Misato said. She was sure it had been a rhetorical question, since this person clearly knew a lot about NERV anyway.

"That's the story given to the public," Deepthroat answered swiftly "But it's not entirely true. Katsuragi, you had a duel with Revolver Ocelot," Misato gasped at the words: how in hell did he know that! It had been classified swiftly even inside NERV "And during that duel, he mentioned something about an Angel in Terminal Dogma," Misato had no more time to feel shocked. Her mind put itself to work, swiftly thinking of every possibility. Only she and Ocelot knew of their talk before the gunshot duel. No one else was there. That meant that this man was either Ocelot himself just playing with her, or someone else who either was with Ocelot or had somehow heard their talk, with she doubted. All the possibilities were bad "You never spoke of that with anyone," Deepthroat seemed awfully pleased at how much he knew about her "You were wise enough to know that you're not irreplaceable within NERV, and that what you heard might just be too... sensitive, didn't you?" the voice chuckled softly again, while Misato took a calming breath. This person... had nailed all her motivations with his last words "And you also didn't want to act on that suspicion since, after all, Ocelot was the one to mention the issue altogether. He could have been lying, right?"

"Is there a point to this little fairytale?" Misato asked with a scowl and a voice that came out hoarse due to the anger.

"Ocelot wasn't lying," Deepthroat countered swiftly "This is something of much importance, Major. There is an Angel in NERV, inactive deep down in Terminal Dogma. Only Gendo Ikari, Kozou Fuyutsuki and Ritsuko Akagi know about it. I suggest you and your friend Solid Snake get to work on the issue and find out more about it. It's going to play a big role in events to come."

"An... Angel?" Misato felt torn. She knew the Commander had some agenda of his own - his handling of NERV said so if you paid close attention - but the idea was so... outlandish. She didn't want to believe it. This could very well be a ploy from NERV's enemies to split the organization from within with lies upon lies. But maybe, just maybe, this was true, and that was enough to warrant some thinking about it.

"Yes," Deepthroat said at last "The Second Angel to be precise. Codename: Lilith. Don't forget about it, Major."

The call was cut with a beep.

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It wasn't long before Mei Ling settled into NERV's routine. She was now working as the third bridge bunny, replacing Makoto Hyouga, who had defected to Big Boss' side a couple of weeks ago. Letting her work so closely with NERV had been a tough decision for Doctor Akagi to make.

But with things as they were, she had no better options. Truth was, finding someone with the expertise required to fill the position of Head Technician - or bridge bunny - was something very hard to do. You needed someone with skills and knowledge of engineering, digital programming, biology, physics and metaphysics. Ritsuko herself was the only one with a good knowledge of all subjects, and finding someone with at least part of that was quite hard. The fact that Outer Heaven was back in full force and with a spy network working at full capacity already made trusting in candidates even harder. And so, Mei Ling had been the best choice. The young woman was a prodigy, having mastered several fields already, and having designed the Soliton Radar - which would be modified for the EVAs to use later on - during her teen years. Besides, they could at least be sure she wasn't working with Big Boss, since she was a part of Philanthropy and had been so for nearly a decade. And truth was, the technicians weren't all that informed about what was really going on. True, they had access to a lot of information and had plenty of responsibilities, but they could be sure the young Chinese woman wouldn't betray them for Big Boss.

In the end, Doctor Akagi felt she had made the right choice. Mei Ling was smart and competent, and she had proved to be more than capable enough to handle the MAGI. The Doctor simply needed to keep her away from the more sensitive subjects, like she already did with Maya and Aoba, and everything would work fine.

And yes, she could tell the newcomer had become quite the hit with the male population, since she was almost a perfect mix of Maya's shy cute air and Misato's beauty. Oh well, too bad Hal Emmerich wasn't cut for the job. The man was simply too involved in Philanthropy, and his background was too troublesome to ignore. The Commanders hadn't thought he would make a good addition, and frankly Ritsuko agreed. It was a shame, since he was more than a match for Ritsuko herself in many fields. He would be providing assistance as a consulter, but that would be it. The rest of his time he would mind Philanthropy's business with Solid Snake.

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"What is it, Major Katsuragi?"

If there was one trait Misato liked about NERV's Supreme Commander, it was that the man never beat around the bushes. He went straight to the point, uncaring of pleasantries. She had asked for a meeting with him, and this is how he greeted her. His drive could be somehow refreshing as well some times.

"I have important developments to report, sir," the lady Major said, standing straight. Receiving a prompting hum in response, she said "Today at 15:02 I received a codec call from an unidentified subject, referring to him or herself as Deepthroat. He defined himself as an informant and proceeded to give me information which no civilian could ever have access to. From what he said, it is clear he is very well informed about NERV and its inner workings."

"What information did he give you?" the Commander promptly asked.

"He mentioned a group named SEELE, which controlled the eastern countries as well as NERV, and its head Keel Lorenz," Misato answered swiftly "He said that this group was destroyed a few weeks ago, to put it in his terms, but that Lorenz survived and still lives. I would have thought him a mere fanatic if it weren't because he seemed very aware of our own working structure."

"I see," the Commander said simply. The following silence felt suffocating for the woman.

"Did he say something else, Major?" he asked at last. Misato realized at once he wasn't going to explain anything about SEELE to her. Still, if he asked for more, then he must have found the information she gave him believable, or else he wouldn't bother with her anymore.

His sharp stare brought her back to the present. Misato's face remained stony, giving nothing away, but her mind was in turmoil right now. There was another thing to say...

'This is something of much importance, Major. There is an Angel in NERV, inactive deep down in Terminal Dogma. Only Gendo Ikari, Kozou Fuyutsuki and Ritsuko Akagi know about it.'

She looked at him in the eye. He returned the stare, completely indifferent. Misato suddenly felt a surge of unjustified anger.

"No," she said firmly "He said nothing else worth reporting, sir."

He looked at her for a moment. She was stiff as a statue.

"You are dismissed, Major."

Misato turned around and walked away. She didn't let herself blow a sigh of relief even when outside the Commander's room, aware of the cameras keeping her under watch. No, not now. She knew what she had to do, and nothing would stop her.

It was time to have a talk with Philanthropy.

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Misato kept staring at her USP handgun, wondering if she should take it with her. She knew it was quite pointless, but still, carrying the weapon with her would give a serious tone to the meeting, which was what she wanted. This was dead serious. In the end, she holstered the USP and donned a jacket over it, keeping the gun out of sight but leaving a clear clue of its presence. It wasn't that she expected to get into a shootout with Philanthropy, but even so the weight of the gun made her feel a little bit better.

She wasn't in uniform, but she wasn't in casual clothes either. This would be off the record, but whatever happened now would be pivotal for times to come. She sighed, straightened up, and walked out of her apartment. She rang the bell at Snake, Otacon and Mei Ling's apartment and only had to wait a few moments before Otacon's face appeared when he opened the door.

"Oh, hello, Misato," the man said politely, having dropped the 'Major Katsuragi' name as instructed by the woman. He made room and let Misato in "Are you looking for Snake?"

"Actually, I wanted to speak to the three of you," the Major uttered clearly "If that's okay with you."

"Sure. We just finished having lunch. Come in," he led her to the living room, similar to the one in her apartment, although better organized. She figured the three inhabitants of this apartment were tidier than Asuka and herself.

Snake was seated at a table away from the window, cleaning his handgun. He raised his head at Misato's entrance and greeted the woman with a nod and a slight smile. Mei Ling was seated on a couch watching television, and smiled brightly at Misato when she saw her. The Major noted Ling's choice of casual attire was almost the same as hers.

"Hello, Snake, Mei Ling," Misato gave a small bow "I wanted to see if I could speak with you."

Snake muttered a 'sure' while Otacon pulled out a chair for her at the table. Mei Ling joined in and it wasn't long before they all were seated, waiting for Misato to start talking. She kept silent for a brief moment before speaking.

"I don't know how else to breach the subject, so I'm going to be blunt," lies, she did know better, subtler ways of saying this, but it would be better to cut to the chase and surprise them. That way, it would be harder to lie to her "I want to know why are you really here."

Her jaw was set and her eyes were penetrating. Misato wouldn't allow any weakness, any mishap hinder her now. She met the stares from the three Philanthropy members with determination. Snake's severe glare, Mei Ling's surprised one, and Otacon's uncomfortable look, she took them in stride. It was time to get some answers, and this was first on the list.

Otacon was preparing himself to talk and Misato already knew what was coming. Some justification about wanting to stop Big Boss and whatnot. She had accepted it so far, but now things were about to get complicated and it was time to get matters clear. She interrupted the otaku before he finished the first word.

"Look, I'm not stupid. I know you have other goals for being here other than stopping Big Boss. You didn't even know he was alive before coming. You aren't here just to help NERV, so why don't we just cut the crap already?" silence and surprised stares was all she got in response, aside from a slightly guilty look from Otacon "I want to know what your real reason for being here is. I think I deserve to know, since you all work closely with the Children and me."

But even though her arguments were convincing, she still met stony silence. They didn't speak at all, not even Snake. Misato knew how tense a situation she had created: she was being openly mistrustful, and yet she was asking them to come clean about their secrets. She knew that just as she doubted them, they doubted her. She could very well be here by the Commander's orders for all they knew.

This called for other measures. She didn't want to do this first, but she had to make concessions as well if she was to get some answers.

"I'm not," she paused, looking away, feeling Snake's sharp eyes trained on her "I'm not here on NERV's behalf," she met the trio's eyes as she said this "I'm not doing this under anyone's orders. I'm asking you this because..." but she didn't want to speak her mind first. It wasn't supposed to go this way. She had to keep control of the situation. They were supposed to be the ones to take the first step.

"Because of what, Misato?" Snake's rough voice snapped her out of her musings.

Speaking the next words was something hard for Misato to do. The fact that she said them at all was proof of how much she had come to trust in him.

"Because I stumbled upon something..." she said after a pause "And I think I'm going to need help to figure it out. I want to know who I'm fighting with if I'm going to embark on a quest with them," she knew she wasn't making much sense, and it showed.

"What are you talking about, Misato?" Snake couldn't help but ask.

She needed an indirect approach here. Misato couldn't come out and straight up ask what was in her mind. She needed to probe the ground first, to learn more about them before making her move. And alas, doing even that was proving hard enough.

"Do you..." she had problem voicing her thoughts, as if her mouth refused to utter the words "Do you trust NERV?"

Snake clicked his tongue and Mei Ling looked away. Otacon was the one to answer, somewhat meekly.

"Truth is, we've become wary of powerful organizations after what we've seen. Comes with our line of work, I suppose," he rubbed his glasses with his shirt and then put them back on "Commander Ikari's torture of Snake and the way he handles things are quite worrisome indicators as well."

"Yeah," Misato said softly, sighing. Otacon and Mei Ling she barely knew, but if Snake trusted them then maybe so could she "I never liked him, specially after seeing the way he treated Shinji, his own son, but I just figured he was driven by his cause, that's all... but now I'm not so sure anymore. I don't know if he has people's best interests at heart, or just his own."

"Why are you saying this, Misato?" Snake cut in "Why to us? Why now?"

"As I said, I have a problem and could use some help solving it," she started lowly, and then her voice gained strength. Snake really liked how strong she could be "But I want you to speak first. Snake, we've fought side by side already, and you've done a lot for us. I tried my best to help you as well. So I'm asking you to trust me and tell me why you are really here. Tell me the truth. I fought with you; I have a right to know. Only then I'll explain myself."

His eyebrows raised and he looked down for a second, thinking. Otacon and Mei Ling said nothing. They didn't know Misato all that well, and only Snake was capable of making this choice since he'd been the only one to deal with the woman. They could only trust his judgement. He would have done the same for them.

"Fair enough," Snake said at last, looking back at the Major, studying her. If he made the wrong choice here, things would get hell of a lot more complicated. The woman didn't flinch, and he nodded to himself before speaking "We weren't lying when we said we want to stop Big Boss," he started, shaking his head "We came because we received word that Ocelot was here. Given his record, it wasn't far fetched to think he was after NERV. Turns out we were right after all."

"It was never our intention to hinder NERV while the Angels are coming," Otacon added "We know how important fighting them off is."

"But once the Angels stop coming..." Misato muttered, starting to understand.

"If we manage to survive them, then our next objective is destroying every Evangelion in existence," Snake stated gravely, his eyes dark.

Misato gasped silently.

So that was it. She had suspected something along the lines, but to hear it so bluntly was shocking nonetheless. It made it real, it made the problem real and cast her with the duty of solving it. Solid Snake, Hal Emmerich and Mei Ling would become NERV's enemies in the future, and they were admitting it to her.

She should report this. She should. Dammit, she ought to draw her handgun and arrest them here and now. They were terrorists, and they were openly admitting NERV would be their next target. They would go against one of the most powerful organizations on Earth, and they would destroy the most powerful and expensive weapons ever built. And she had no doubt that they would at least manage to destroy several of those weapons before being stopped. It would be a disaster. A disaster she had been charged to avoid.

But...Had she? NERV's official purpose was to stop the Angels. Once that was done, there should be no more place for the organization to exist. Nor for the EVAs... maybe. Misato's task was to command the Evangelion and NERV in the battle against the Angels. That was it. True, as a Major, it was her duty to protect NERV as well. But if NERV itself was useless after the Angels were beaten, then so would her position in it. Meaningless.

And... Her father would be avenged. If they beat the Angels, Misato's vengeance would be complete. She would be free at last from the shadow that had haunted her for the past fifteen years. It would be a time to heal from all this madness she had enforced upon herself and her charges.

Shinji and Asuka. Their task would be over too. But if the Evangelion kept existing, they would never be truly free. Some powerful man would order them into battle, and threaten them with charges of treason if they didn't cooperate. She was certain of that, since one of NERV's backup plans involved blackmailing the pilots if things turned too dire. Asuka would accept without that, maybe, but Shinji... and what would their target be? If there were no Angels to fight...

The cost alone for keeping the Evangelion operational was enough to feed several small countries. Misato knew that better than anyone, with all the paperwork she had to fill after every battle. It was necessary now, since if they didn't fight then there would be no one left to feed. But once that peril was over, and if indeed they survived to see it... what then? Would the EVAs be used to fight for the petty goals of politicians?

On the other hand, Evangelion existed already, and it was one of the greatest achievements in human history. And who were Philanthropy's members to deny progress to the world? Who were they to judge mankind wasn't ready for the burden?

She needn't think much about it. Mankind had proven, time and time again, that it wasn't perfectly suited to deal with devastating new toys. Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Old Tokyo, the massacre of India... picturing Evangelion units doing that kind of destruction was horribly easy to do.

Her frustration and conflict clearly showed in her face, for Snake mumbled something and spoke.

"We're not the kind of heroes you see in the movies, huh," Snake growled, shaking his head "But it's the truth."

"Just like the Metal Gears, Evangelion are too powerful to be wielded as weapons," Mei Ling expressed.

Otacon nodded to her and turned to Misato.

"We have a duty to mankind, to the future generations. A weapon such as the Evangelion shouldn't have place in the world, not after we defeat the Angels."

"Big Boss and Outer Heaven are living proof of that," Mei Ling cut in wisely.

"Our cause is the eradication of every advanced mass destruction weapon," Otacon moved on "That used to be only Metal Gears, but now the Evangelion had been added to the list. We have a duty to rid the world from all of these destruction devices. We have to leave a better world when we die."

"You can't shake hands with a closed fist;" Mei Ling quoted "An eye for an eye only ends up making the world blind."

"How can you be so sure about the Commander's..." she struggled to come up with the right words "Hidden agenda?" that was one of the most important questions she had to ask; the answer would determine what she would do on her own, Philanthropy or not. If there was an Angel in Terminal Dogma, then was Commander Ikari to be trusted at all?

"Well, you see," Otacon coughed, looking awkward "Just like you guys do, we always check anyone we're going to work with. I... hacked into some of NERV's files to see if there were any nasty surprises waiting around," Misato frowned and the otaku looked away, looking meek. It almost reminded her of Shinji.

"And he found out some of the Commander's pet projects," Snake cut in, saving his friend from the Major's wrath.

"He has a disturbing number of spies working for him in nearly every relevant organization around the world," Otacon explained "But that's to be expected. What's repulsing is what he does with the Children." He shook his head sadly.

"The Children?" Misato asked, suddenly feeling cold.

"The Marduk Institute," Otacon said "Or rather, code 707."

"Code 707?" Misato repeated "That's Shinji's school..."

"The Marduk Institute doesn't even exist," Otacon stated grimly "NERV is manipulating it all from the shadows. Every kid's life in that school has been manipulated in one way or another by Commander Ikari, ranging from killing their families to instilling traumas into them to make them more malleable," Misato couldn't believe what she was hearing, but the geeky man still had more to say "And not only that," Otacon shook his head sadly while behind him Snake grunted in silent outrage "We... I dug in, and found that he's... he's been experimenting with some of them. I'm not sure exactly what, but I think it has something to do with nanomachines..."

Misato's jaw was open in shock. Her brow was tense, and her eyes were ablaze, but still, she was too dumbfounded to order her thoughts so fast.

"That's just..." her words failed her.

"...Horrible," Mei Ling finished in her stead, looking at her hands. None spoke for a little while.

"A new arms race has already started, with Big Boss trying to get his own pilots," Otacon said "We have to stop it while we still can!"

"We started this," Snake growled "And it's our duty to finish it. Big Boss is our main enemy now. But NERV isn't blameless either."

"We won't do anything during the Angel Wars," Otacon stated reasonably; it was so strange to talk about NERV's downfall to a Major of the organization... but Snake trusted her, and so he would follow his lead "As we said before, we know how important victory is. But we won't stand by the sidelines once it's over."

"I should report this," Misato said seriously "I'm still a part of NERV. This line of thinking will only get you three killed."

"But you don't believe so much in NERV anymore," Snake countered "You said that yourself."

"What if we're right?" Mei Ling asked "What if NERV tries to keep its place in the world after the Angels are gone? What if this ends in a new arms race like in the previous century?"

"It has already started," Otacon pushed his glasses up "Illegal means of coercion, human experimentation, huge secret funding... all of those are necessary evils now, to a certain degree. But we cannot condone them later on!"

"It doesn't matter," Misato said absently "I still should report of this immediately, and have you three kicked out of Japan by nightfall."

"Then why don't you do it, Misato?" Snake dared her "Why not get this over with? Report about this, and your problem will be solved, here and now."

Misato looked at him. He looked back. He just wasn't afraid of the consequences of his acts. It was one of his best traits, in her opinion. Snake knew what he was doing, and he knew that it would probably get him killed. But he was okay with that. It seemed fatalist, but in reality Misato thought it hugely brave. Nothing like her, she thought, that simply hid beneath beer cans whenever life threw something nasty her way.

"Why are you still here, Misato?" Snake pressed her. Otacon and Mei Ling were deathly silent, not daring to speak "Why did you come?"

"Because I don't know if NERV can be trusted anymore," Misato answered at last.

"And deep down you knew that we would oppose them," he finished.

"Yes," Misato said. She looked at him; he looked back. Deciding that this wouldn't get any more messed up than it already was, she decided to take the next step.

And she told them everything about Deepthroat's call, even that which she hadn't told the Commander.

The afternoon went on, and the sun was disappearing in the west when she left their apartment, plans made and her resolve increased.

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The gym was large and well equipped, with mats, weights and other items all around the room. Big Boss, dressed in a short sleeved shirt, cargo pants and combat boots, was fighting with a shirtless Touji Suzuhara, who was only wearing military pants, black sneakers and combat gloves. Big Boss' coat was hung near the door of the room, and right now the old man was dodging a powerful right punch his student had thrown with a strained cry. Big Boss grunted in annoyance and kicked Touji's feet out from under him, sending him to the ground face first.

"Come on kid, get up!" Big Boss said with a harsh voice. Panting intensely, Touji only managed to kneel. His body was red with the strain, and some bruises were already showing "You have to control yourself! Don't come at me like that! Dominate your efforts and defeat me!"

"I can't," Touji got out between laborious breaths "I'm t... tired. You're too fast."

"You asked me to make you strong!" Big Boss countered. He wasn't even breathing hard "To give you the tools to be able to shape your own destiny! To control your own life!" Touji raised his head and looked at his Commander, too tired to answer "You want to be free from others' control! Then get up! Never give up! Believe with all your heart, and you will succeed!"

Touji got up and charged again, going for a quick set of punches which Big Boss parried with ease. The old man took advantage of a slip in the teen's defense and kicked him in the gut, making him bend over. A quick takedown took care of the rest. Touji grunted when he hit the floor yet again. He could feel this would leave a bruise. Ever since he came to Outer Heaven, he had been mercilessly trained to become a warrior. Synch tests, he had taken several already in the short span of time he'd been here, all under a hot babe named Naomi Hunter, who despite being quite pleasant was also relentless in her tests. That aside, Big Boss had decided he needed to be prepared for everything, and so he had started to take a very intense program of physical conditioning, sometimes under Ocelot's personal supervision. And the most freakish thing of them all, that creepy guy Gray Fox, half man and half machine, had started to teach him the basics of sword fighting since it would become useful for his Evangelion tactics. And then, Big Boss himself took the time to expand Touji's knowledge of the martial arts and fighting in general, usually in lessons that left the lad sore for many hours.

He stood up, and barely dodged a kick aimed at his chest, although the following set of punches left his forearms stinging with pain when he blocked them. Big Boss was a harsh teacher, and he pushed his student to the limit in order to hardwire his lessons into his brain. But that was because Touji himself had asked him to do so, when he told his commander he didn't want to be a puppet anymore. And even though the Commander was tough, he kept a clear line and never went too far. Touji realized he couldn't have asked for a better teacher: Big Boss had taught Gray Fox and Solid Snake everything they knew after all.

Big Boss parried a right swing, and grabbing Touji's wrist, he flipped him to the ground yet again. The lad lay there, panting.

"I think we'll return to the basics for a while," Big Boss sighed "Get up and clean yourself. I'll make sure you get more physical training today."

"Yes, Boss," Touji said. He took the old man's hand and stood up "When's my next synch test?"

"Tomorrow," Big Boss answered "But I want you in the cages in half an hour. It's time you met our other pilot, and your comrade in arms."

.

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**Author Notes 2:**

Well, that's it for now. I liked this chapter, even though Misato's talk with Philanthropy didn't quite come out as I had planned. Gotta work on my dialogue writing. However, this chapter holds the rare honour of having a lot of content in it without any major fights or the such in it. Just talks and more talks, and yet several things happen.

College is taking quite a lot of time nowadays, which is the main cause of my updates being a bit slower than what I'd like. However, I think I can keep with my pace of one chapter each month, and the next one is already outlined, so at least it won't be a huge wait before I post it.

In any case, thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review.

Devil Boss


	17. The Shadow of the Past

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own any of the characters from the Evangelion and Metal Gear Solid universes; they belong to Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, GAINAX Studios, Hideo Kojima, Shoji Shinkawa, Kojima Productions and Konami Studios.

**Author Notes:**

And here I am, back in business. Now, I'll start apologizing for the huge delay. Honest, taking this long time to update isn't something I'm too happy with, but sometimes life gets to you and you find yourself with way too little spare time to write. In my case, college, issues at work, family and a demanding girlfriend got to me and between all that I could only write a paragraph each week. I never stopped thinking of this fic, though, and I always thought of this and the future updates, so rest assured that I'm going to complete this Fanfiction even if it is the last thing I do, because I just love to write it and sincerely hope you like to read it.

I rather liked this chapter. It has a lot of answers, and what I love most, flashbacks. Really, it's not even half of the amount of flashbacks the fic will include, but there's a good deal of them and therefore a lot of the background of the story will be fully explained. I sincerely hope you'll like this one too.

**.**

**.**

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**Chapter 15: The Shadow of the Past**

**.**

"Snake."

That was Raiden's greeting when the seasoned soldier got inside his hospital room. Raiden's voice had come out raspy and tired, a testament of his weakening condition. It would be another day before Ritsuko started him on the treatment to save his life, and even though he was in no danger he also couldn't get up from his bed, having to lay hooked to several machines just to stay alive.

"Jack," Snake answered, walking up to the bed. He felt an odd sense of pity: there was little left of the young but skilled man he had known and worked with in the past. Instead, there was a cyborg that looked like a primitive version of Gray Fox. Tinted all black, the exoesqueleton didn't have armor plates in the shoulders, or the armpits, or the inner sides of the elbows, and the mechanical joints and engines could be seen there. Raiden's own jaw was supported by dark grey plates of alloy, and there were barcodes written over his forehead. His hands were metallic, with the joints exposed to the eye, and sometimes they rustled when he moved. Even though Snake was well aware of what his friend was capable of in that exoesqueleton, it didn't make the sight any less gruesome.

"I am Raiden. Jack is no more."

He closed his eyes, breathing hard.

"No more..." Snake muttered "What about Rose? You never went back to see her?" he pressed on.

"Rose? She doesn't exist," Raiden looked at him, lost in thought "No, Rose and I live in different worlds, different times. Her world has no place for someone like me." He shook his head, with a grim determination Snake hadn't seen in him before "No... My place is here on the battlefield."

His voice revealed his weakening condition. It wouldn't be long before he passed out.

Snake shook his head "Raiden, where have you been all this time? What have you been doing?"

"I was... on a mission," Raiden said, keeping his eyes open through sheer force of will "For Matka Pluku. Finding some people. Finding them..."

"Matka Pluku... Big Mama," Snake mumbled "Who's 'them'?"

"SEELE..." he stopped talking and Snake was sure the cyborg had truly lost consciousness this time. He was surprised when he saw Raiden look at him once more and utter one last sentence before passing out "But I found him... or rather... he found me."

"What are you talking about?" Snake pressed. But Raiden said no more. The machines kept a steady beat, while his chest moved rhythmically up and down as he rested.

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_Dresden, Eastern Germany, September 2014_

_._

_The guard was dead even before he fell to the ground with a mute thud. A dark figure loomed over the corpse, carefully hiding in the shadows._

_Raiden wasn't new to the concept of working alone. He had done some works with Snake after the Big Shell incident, but he eventually had followed his own way, leaving Snake and Otacon to deal with Ocelot and the Patriots. In turn, he had decided to go after SEELE after he first heard of them. It had been a long road, stretching through countless missions for many people, all of them having one piece of the big puzzle that was SEELE's identity. During those years, Raiden had acted as a cover agent, had smuggled many things through many borders, had uncovered well guarded secrets, had learned scouting in the wilderness and had roamed the world. As a result, he had hit his peak, and finally his efforts had paid off when he got some leads about SEELE that seemed to be based on the truth for a change. A woman named Big Mama had contacted him, telling him all she knew about SEELE, and how to find out more._

_And so here he was. According to Big Mama's sources, SEELE had one single supercomputer disengaged from the internet in which they stored their most treasured information, in a safe haven outside the Patriots' control. It certainly made sense to Raiden, who knew first hand how thorough was the control the Patriots had over the net. Right now, the blond had just infiltrated one of SEELE's secret facilities, right in the middle of Dresden, capital of Saxony in Eastern Germany. Getting this far hadn't been easy. Even with Big Mama's help, SEELE remained a tough nut to crack. It had been a nightmare to learn about this facility, even though it certainly wasn't SEELE's main complex. It definitely wasn't one of the places in which they built their Mass Produced Evangelion units._

_However, this place may have a lead about where exactly was SEELE's main supercomputer located. And that was too good an opportunity to let pass. If they could locate SEELE's main base, then things would change for the better at last. Once they found out where it was, Raiden would contact Snake again, and they would put an end to SEELE for good. That was the plan._

_The facility was located inside a three-story building that didn't look any different from the others that surrounded it. It was just another greyish, common building in a city that hadn't been affected by the Second Impact. However, what the taxpayer didn't know was that inside there was a very advanced facility built with the sole purpose of watching people. SEELE was no different from the Patriots in that sense: like any other tyranny, the best way to keep people well in check was to observe them day and night. The CIA and NSA did the same thing with their own network, Echelon. All the information gathered here had to be relayed somewhere. Raiden wanted to find out where._

_He was ready. He was wearing a customized version of the US's most advanced Sneaking Suit, which would protect him against most blows, even small caliber rounds. Strapped to his back was the High Frequency blade Olga Gurlukovich had given him during the Big Shell incident. Raiden's mastery of the blade had been good before, but he was on another level altogether now. Strapped to his thigh he had the SOCOM handgun Snake had given him during the incident as well, which he could now fire with one hand while using the blade on the other. Right now, Raiden's prowess was such he could easily hold his own against any enemy he faced, no matter who. Big Boss and Snake themselves would have a hard time if they fought him._

_He hid the body inside a locker and moved downstairs, heading into the bottom level of the facility, two floors beneath the surface. A reinforced door was in his way, locked by electronics which would only let those with clearance in. Raiden slid a cardkey he had stolen earlier through a small slot, and soon he was allowed inside. So far so good._

_A clean corridor was ahead of him. There was an entrance to the west, where he had come from, and another in the eastern wall. The only other door was a double bladed metal gate that led south. The agent grinned slightly. He was finally here. It was time to see where things led. He used the cardkey again and soon was allowed inside the southern room._

_Darkness greeted him. Darkness and a dry hot temperature. The room was large, filled with many computers, wires and machines, with one large tower in the back which Raiden identified as a Cray Supercomputer Mk II. A fancy toy, he mused. The Cray Mk II hadn't been released to the market yet; only Japan and Germany had them. Definitely what he was looking for._

_Using the shadows to cover himself and checking that there were neither enemies nor any detection systems around, Raiden made his way to the computer with the SOCOM at the ready. He stood in front of a panel in the computer, reaching for a gadget that would let him copy all the information stored inside._

_"You're pretty good," a voice said from behind him._

_Surprise, resignation at his missions which refused to go right, anger and determination flashed through Raiden's mind in a millisecond, all while he whirled around, pointing his SOCOM at whoever had talked. Surprise won out when he saw him._

_It was a young boy, not older than fourteen years old. He was quite tall for his age, and dressed in a Sneaking Suit which closely mirrored Raiden's own. However, Raiden couldn't help staring at his face._

_Snake. That was the only word his brain could come up with. Snake. He had the same face. A little more rounded, a little less harsh and without the beard, but it was Snake's face, no doubt about it. The same high brow, the same cheekbones, the same stern expression, although tinted with faint mockery. Moreover, he had the same eyes. Raiden couldn't mistake them: only Solid Snake had those clear eyes, only his' shone with that fierce, almost animalistic glint that could only mean danger. The boy had that same steely look, maybe not as hardened, but just as dangerous._

_The only difference was the hair color. Instead of Snake's chestnut brown, this kid had a light brown mane which resembled Big Boss' originally clearer hair tone._

_"So you're the famous Raiden," the boy spoke again. He had a clear voice which didn't resemble Snake's at all. His tone was deep, though; he had already passed the stage in which a boy looses his childish voice "I've been waiting for this."_

_"Who are you?" Raiden inquired, ready for action._

_"Just the third generation of the genes that will lead mankind into the future," the younger warrior smirked "And the one to wipe out all the others. Starting with you, White Devil!"_

_They stared at each other. And then hell broke loose._

_Not having the burden of a sword in his hands, the boy was faster than Raiden. He took aim and fired in an instant, seeking a killing shot to the chest of his opponent. But Raiden wasn't a former FOXHOUND for nothing: having anticipated the move, he parried the bullet easily with his blade, retaliating with his own SOCOM pistol, aiming for the young man's head. He had no time for considerations here. Security and enemy reinforcements would come soon. But his shot missed: the young Snake wasn't there anymore, having foreseen Raiden's retaliation; he had rolled right, coming to hide behind a large metallic crate. However, a faint click warned Raiden of what was to come just a second too late._

_BANG!_

_Raiden grunted, blocking his face with his arm as a flashbang grenade detonated in front of him, bathing the dark room with blinding white light. He had reacted in the nick of time, and that saved him from being fully stunned, but his sight was blurry now and he had lost the target._

_He heard fast footsteps and suddenly the young man appeared a few feet to his left, coming from the shadows like a wraith from hell. Raiden barely had the time to block several shots with his sword when his enemy slammed onto him, focusing his efforts on Raiden's handgun. The blunt of the impact made Raiden stagger, and that lapse was all his enemy needed to kick his right hand with such strength that the SOCOM pistol flew away, disappearing in the dark room. Raiden answered with a left handed swing of his blade, which the boy ducked under with cat-like agility. The White Devil was baffled: those were Solid Snake's moves. So this kid wasn't just some look-alike. He fought like the real deal. The boy's right hand grabbed Raiden's left, pinning his blade, and he brought his left hand up, aiming to blow Raiden's head off with a shot fired from under Raiden's chin. But the older man was too fast, even stunned as he was, and his right hand moved like lightning, grabbing the teen's gun hand, redirecting the shot and saving his life. Now the two were locked in a stalemate, each one grabbing one of his opponent's hands. But Raiden was stronger; his age and more developed physique saw to that. He pushed forward and down, bending the shorter man's spine back, grim determination in his face. Knowing himself weaker than the blond, the young Snake threw his body back, dragging his enemy with him, and rolled back was soon as he hit the floor, planting one foot on Raiden's hip and sending him flying over his head._

_Raiden landed on the floor and rolled to his feet with natural agility. The young boy was already standing. He aimed his gun, but Raiden sliced it in two with his sword. A vertical slice followed, which the young Snake sidestepped without an inch to spare; Raiden didn't have the chance to press the attack, though, since the younger man did an expert CQC move and literally tore the blade from his hands. He tossed the weapon aside, making it disappear in the dark room just like he had done with the SOCOM pistol._

_'CQC, huh,' Raiden thought for himself 'Someone taught you well...'_

_But even though this young man had all the signs of being another product of the Les Enfant Terrible project or something similar, he would be no match for him. Raiden countered with a furious kick to the boy's midsection, followed with a set of punches and kicks no man could parry without backing off. The boy defended himself valiantly, but Raiden's superior physical prowess, technique and experience soon put him on the receiving end of several blows which made it through his stern defense. He fought back, with a grim determination and natural fighting instinct which surprised Raiden; however, the White Devil was just too much. Raiden had been extensively trained on nearly every martial art in existence, and his own bloody background made him a juggernaut of destruction. Raiden's own inner beast had been released, just as it happened whenever someone proved to be a match for him. Three punches were followed by a furious spinning kick which opened the young man's defense, and a roundhouse knocked him flat on his back._

_The young man rolled back and got to his knees, panting. He looked up, and met Raiden's cold stare. Blue eyes met blue eyes, with a warrior instinct like no other man had._

_Raiden watched his enemy get to his feet, wiping blood out of his mouth. He knew he had the kid beaten. He had to end this, now. The boy was just too dangerous to be left standing. But as he took a step forward, Raiden was surprised to see the boy smirking. His mind raced over ideas, and he understood what was going to happen one moment too late._

_"Freeze!" a harsh voice shouted while the doors opened, letting light into the room. Against the white lit background, several silhouettes could be discerned, all of them of heavily armoured men carrying assault rifles. A heavy strike team, and Raiden was in the open. More importantly, he was unarmed. He realized too late that the boy hadn't wanted to kill him by himself; he probably realized he wouldn't be capable of that. No, his objective had been do disarm him, leaving him defenseless for the reinforcements that were soon to arrive. Raiden's fists clenched in silent rage, while the strike team surrounded him and one of the men hit him in the back of the head with the butt of his rifle. Everything went dark after that._

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Mount Fuji, October 2015

.

Touji had cleaned himself after his sparring session with Big Boss, and had changed clothes too. As he walked down to Unit 03's cage, deep down in Mount Fuji, he admitted there was no denying the pain he felt after his encounter with Big Boss. He couldn't wash the bruises away. Big Boss had said earlier that his body would eventually adapt to the pain and live with it, thus making him a lot tougher than he was before. The teen could only hope it was true; but regardless of that, he had faith in Big Boss' skills as a teacher. The man had been the mentor of many of the greatest warriors on Earth.

He had already grown familiar with the corridors that led to the Eva cages. Those, the gym and the hospital wing, he knew them all by heart. He was trying to learn where the other important places were, although it wasn't easy. The base at Mount Fuji was simply enormous, as it had been intended to be used by an army and thousands of civilians at the same time, in case disaster struck the surrounding cities. And since it also acted as a missile silo, there were plenty of security measures. It wouldn't be easy getting familiar with the entire place.

He found Big Boss in a corridor directly outside of Unit 03's cage. The old man was smoking one of his cigars, the ones he shared with nobody.

"Hello, Boss," Touji greeted the man. Big Boss nodded in response; he allowed the boy to use a more informal tone with him, just to make him feel more at ease with his completely alien new environment. Ocelot did make him call him General Shalashaska, though.

"How're you feeling, kid?" Big Boss asked.

"Sore," the lad answered "You hit real hard, you know that?"

"You'll live," the Commander determined. He started walking to the control room that oversaw the cage where Unit 03 was and where synch tests were performed with Touji in tow "I'm going to introduce you with our other pilot. I have a feeling you two'll get along fine."

"I hope so," Touji mumbled. He wouldn't stand it if this pilot turned out to be like Soryu. The thought frightened him enough to prompt a question "So what's he like?"

"He is a she, and I'll let you make your own opinion of her," Big Boss answered "Although I warn you she can be a bit odd."

"Okay," Touji mused. She had to be something to have Big Boss - a man that liked to get in cardboard boxes because it made him think clearer - calling her odd "So what's her name?"

"Her codename is Nulevoi," Big Boss said "But she doesn't go by that. Here we are."

A reinforced door opened, giving way to the control room. There were many computers there, recently smuggled into the country by a team led by Vamp, all of them outfitted with the latest technology that was necessary when dealing with the Evangelion. Some technicians were there, sitting at their terminals, working quietly but competently. In one of the main terminals sat a man Touji had only seen once, a few months ago when he visited Shinji in his apartment. He was called Makoto, if he recalled straight. Next to him was Doctor Hunter, still as stunning as ever and still with no bra, something he didn't fail to notice. Touji waved at her and the doctor smiled back.

But one person stood out amidst the crowd. A tall teenage girl, with brown hair that she held down with a headset that finished in the nerve clips worn by every Evangelion pilot, and which ended in twin tails that fell over her shoulders and upper chest. She had a clear skin tone which revealed her to be of at least partly European heritage, like Soryu herself. Moreover, her eyes weren't those of an Asian: two blue orbs which seemed to carry an air of mocking mischief. She was wearing glasses, which surprised Touji: that was a new feature in a pilot. The girl was wearing one of Outer Heaven's plugsuits, although hers was a lot tighter than the one Touji had to wear; a dark blue suit that resembled the one the boy had seen Asuka wear on the Over the Rainbow.

Big Boss made a beeline to the girl, gesturing for Touji to follow him. The female pilot took notice of them and turned her eyes on Touji, fixing him with a blunt stare.

"Touji Suzuhara, meet Mari Illustrious Makinami," Big Boss nodded to the girl, who stepped up slowly "She's our other pilot, designated for Unit 04."

"Pleased to meet you," Touji said politely. She was quite cute, and he certainly didn't want to repeat the experiences he'd had when he first met NERV's pilots.

"Hmmm," she gave him a once over which didn't help his nerves at all "So this is the guy, huh."

She walked up to him. But she didn't stop; she leaned forward, getting into his personal space, closer and closer to the point where the young man thought she was about to kiss him. But even though he was straight and she was quite cute, he still felt quite creeped out by the idea. But her head leaned right at the last moment, coming to a stand upon his neck, which was even weirder. She stayed like that for an instant, and Touji didn't know what to do. Should he tell her off, like he felt he should? But that would be rude... although she was being rude. Should he try to be polite but push her away? His musings were cut short when he heard her... sniff?

"W-What the...!" his brain couldn't come up with any proper words to say.

She backed off just enough to stare at his eyes. Her face was really close.

"You smell good," she whispered, pleased, but calm, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened "Like the scent of LCL."

Only then did she move out of his personal space. Touji was just too stunned to do something.

"You're interesting, though," she determined. A glint shone in her eyes as she watched him "Don't get cocky, stud. Who knows, maybe I'll just let you play with me."

"Huh!" Touji's mind raced over ideas. The girl looked at him with a predatory smile.

"Well, lots of work to do," she said "See you around, warrior. Take care of yourself."

She left both men with that, completely unfazed with the situation she had created, nor with the fact that she had held a conversation with a boy who hadn't been able to really say anything at all.

Neither Big Boss nor the young Suzuhara spoke for a while.

"Boss..." Touji uttered, still baffled "What the fuck was that?"

"Honestly, kid?" Big Boss shook his head "I have no idea."

.

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.

_Underground complex beneath Nevada desert, November 2004_

_._

_Revolver Ocelot was a man with an imposing presence. Not like Big Boss, who seemed to fill the space of any room he was in; Ocelot just seemed the kind of man you couldn't afford not paying attention to. To the untrained eye, he looked like a man that could kill in an instant; a deadly forced to be reckoned with. While that was true, it wasn't nearly close enough to the real deal._

_Ocelot was one of the founding members of the Patriots, the organization that ruled all the western countries in the world, and held supremacy over all virtual accounts. He was a member of the select group that decided what would be of entire countries, no matter how powerful. He and his colleagues determined which economic policies would be instilled, which militaries created, which ideologies spurred or destroyed. He was a Patriot._

_And right now, he was on his way to meet with two others; the leader of the organization, and another of the founding members. Both were immersed in their latest project, one that would give them an edge in the war they already foresaw happening in the next decade._

_Ocelot wasn't looking forward to this meeting. He despised the two Patriots he was about to see and usually tried to stay away from them, not out of fear but because they just made him sick in the stomach. But in any case, he wouldn't let that hinder his purposes. He had been dealing with bastards and megalomaniacs since he was a teenager._

_He walked around a corner and he found one of the two people he was looking for. Chairman Zero, the leader of the Patriots and ruler of Earth._

_A wrinkled, withered face that sported one milky white, blind eye deceived into thinking him a weak old man. But Ocelot knew him to be the opposite: the man known as Zero was literally the most powerful being on Earth, and even at ninety four years of age he was still capable of making decisions on his own. It wouldn't be long before he succumbed to age, but by then his system of AIs would replace him, thus making machines rule the world. Ocelot would stab himself before seeing that becoming a reality._

_Zero was hooked to several life support machines, and Ocelot felt a slight warm pleasure at the sight. Bastard was human after all, despite his intent of surviving through AIs. He would be no match for Big Boss when Ocelot managed to free him. The gunslinger walked up to the wheelchair-bound man, letting any displeasure he felt disappear from his body language. When he stood next the Zero, his face was an impassive mask no one could have read._

_"Adamska," the old man said weakly as a way of greeting "How have you been?"_

_"Well enough," the tall man answered "Although that last mission was a bit too suicidal for my liking."_

_"Operation Schlange Fallen," Zero nodded "Liquid Snake is a rather... extreme leader of FOXHOUND, don't you think?"_

_"Yes," the gunslinger said, caressing his moustache "But he's every bit as good as Big Boss. His disappearance of 2001 didn't affect him in the slightest."_

_"He'll be a formidable commander in the war to come," Zero rasped, and then coughed loudly. Ocelot didn't spare him a pat on the back; the man in the wheelchair recovered on his own after a little while "We were right in selecting him as commander of our black ops units."_

_"So, do you think it'll come to a war with SEELE?" Ocelot asked._

_"I'm sure of it," Zero said, and coughed again. He took a deep breath and looked up to the deadly cowboy "That's why we're here today."_

_"She's been there for three hours," Ocelot grunted "Let's hope it won't take much longer."_

_._

_It was an hour later that the doors opened and a woman came out. She removed a white headscarf from her face and sighed tiredly. The woman was old, having passed sixty years of age already. Her lab coat and white latex gloves, which she pulled off and discarded, revealed her to be a doctor. Her head sported gray hair with some small, rebellious streaks of dark that refused to disappear like the rest. She was skinny, and the years hadn't worsened her posture in the slightest. The woman spotted Zero and Ocelot and walked over to them._

_"Chairman Zero," she saluted the man in the wheelchair "Adamska," she greeted the tall man, not bothering to hide some disdain for the man. It wasn't lost to Ocelot that she hadn't called him for his rank._

_"Doctor Clark," Ocelot said in turn, filled with dark amusement. Oh, but the Patriots were a lovely gang, indeed!_

_"Was the process successful?" Zero asked without preamble. At his age, he hadn't time to beat around the bushes._

_"Yes," Doctor Clark answered "We did it, Chairman. Yui Ikari's advice from Japan proved most useful for our plans."_

_"I wonder..." Ocelot mused "She works directly for SEELE... who knows what her reasons for helping us were…"_

_"There are more pressing matter at hand," Clark rebuked swiftly "Chairman, the operation was a success. In the end, it wasn't so much of DNA tampering but Neurological Readjustment that did the trick."_

_"Is the subject ready to relate to the new technology SEELE and GEHIRN are creating?" Zero asked, rasping again._

_"Yes," Doctor Clark answered proudly "She is. Unlike Shinji Ikari, who Yui Ikari already signed as an Evangelion pilot, and Asuka Soryu, who has been reported to have the same ability, our subject is the first human being engineered to have the ability to pilot instead of being born with it. It's a huge step for our science."_

_"Little Mari Makinami," Ocelot shook his head, grinning sadistically "A pioneer at barely three years of age."_

_"It would be best if we didn't mention her name so freely," Doctor Clark snapped; Ocelot grinned again. Yes, Clark hated him. There were only three of them there: no one was stupid enough to spy on three of the founding members of the Patriots. Her words would have been appropriate in a bar, or any place were they could be heard, certainly not a medical facility set in a secret base so deep underground it actually took almost half an hour to get out of it. But he wasn't surprised: the Patriots had long lost any love or trust for any member. Ever since Big Boss left the organization, Zero had grown paranoid to the point of hysteria. He had already executed dozens of his own lieutenants for unproved accusations of treason, replacing them with his new toys, the AIs. Yes, nowadays even Ocelot wasn't in full command as he used to. Now, the AIs were gaining influence in the organization since Zero trusted no one else._

_Ocelot only had Eva in his side. He pretended to dislike her, to mistrust her every word, but whenever they met in secret they made plans and shared their thoughts on things. Yes, they both had the same objective: to bring Big Boss back to life, and destroy the Patriots and SEELE._

_"As you wish, Doctor," Ocelot bowed to the woman. Doctor Clark had grown as power hungry as Zero himself, and had been long corrupted by that. Now, she hated him just as much as she hated Zero himself, Eva, Sigint and Big Boss "We could call her 'Nulevoi,' maybe?"_

_"Russian for 'Zero'?" the man that shared that name said from his wheelchair. (Please see the Author Notes at the bottom of the chapter. DB)_

_"She is a Zero," Ocelot smirked "Our zero. The first subject, and the first one to have been artificially given the ability to pilot. I find the name... fitting."_

_Zero's old, wrinkled face strained to form a small grin._

_"Nulevoi it is, then," he said._

_._

_Ocelot and Zero had long left when night came to the underground base of the Patriots. Doctor Jane Clark, who had also been nicknamed Para Medic in her youth, was walking through the white halls when she spotted her young assistant Naomi Hunter entering the chamber known as Code Umbra. She followed the young woman briskly, zealous over her great project. The Human Enhancement Skeleton, as she called it, was being tested on one of Big Boss' soldiers, his most trusted lieutenant, Gray Fox. It was, along with the experiment on that Makinami toddler - or rather, Nulevoi - her most important project at the time. Yui Ikari had been rather interested in it, given that she herself was working on cybernetics and enhancement of the human physiology; it was one of the reasons she had shared so much with Clark about her project, named Evangelion. Soon the Doctor would send Ikari data over how to enhance performance of human beings and closely related species. Clark wasn't unaware of what the Evangelion were, after all._

_Code Umbra was always guarded by four men, all armed to the teeth and trained by the Special Forces of Israel. Two were outside, guarding the door, and two were inside, guarding the subject. Of course, they had let Hunter pass, given that she had absolute clearance to do so. Doctor Clark hurried to catch up; the young woman was doing nothing out of place, and yet the aging doctor didn't want her in this room, not without her personal supervision. She couldn't place the cause of it, but suddenly she felt foreboding. Doctor Hunter shouldn't even be in the base, she recalled... she had to attend a meeting with Naoko Akagi, didn't she?_

_An infernal cry ripped her from her musings. Clark took a step back, horrified, when she saw the two guards from inside the room be flung through the door as if they were rag dolls. The remaining two snapped into action, one driving the doctor back and the other pointing his MP5 to the door, ready to blast whoever or whatever came through._

_The door itself, an armoured hulk of titanium and steel, was blasted out of the room and into the white corridor, taking the guard with it and leaving blood all over the floor. Doctor Clark cried in horror when the cause of the bloody disaster came through the threshold._

_Gray Fox. Gray Fox was free! He must have killed Doctor Hunter, too, and then forced his way out with the impressive power only Clark knew the extent of. God, she knew that the guard in front of her would be no match for the unstoppable cyborg. Even Big Boss would have a hard time dealing with such a creature. All dignity forgotten, Clark turned around and ran, just ran away from what was about to become a massacre. A high pitched scream at her back told her that her guard was already dead. She had to get to the control room of the lower floors and seal every room, every passage, any escape routes for the animal she had created. Then, she'd fill the whole place with gas, in whatever amount necessary to kill the bloody thing._

_She couldn't help but recall one detail, though. Mari Makinami's room was right next to Gray Fox's. If she pumped the place with gas, she'd kill the infant, just recently moved out of surgery._

_It didn't matter. She could repeat the process in the future._

_A shape moved above her, too fast to be properly identified, and suddenly Doctor Jane Clark found herself staring at Gray Fox right in the face. She realized he had vaulted above her while she hit his chest, cold and stiff as a rock._

_"No, nooo!" the woman blurted out, tripping and falling on her back upon the cold uncaring floor._

_"Kill her, Frank!" a voice came from behind. Turning her head to the side, Clark saw Naomi Hunter, pointing at her and... Ordering the thing to kill her! She had been betrayed!_

_She hadn't time to fume in realization. Gray Fox approached, and Doctor Clark knew she only had a second left to live._

.

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.

Misato Katsuragi's apartment, October 2015

.

Asuka was in her room, and Shinji felt really lonely. You didn't know the value of company until you lost it; for Shinji, that was now crystal clear. He had lived alone for most of his life; he didn't want to go back to that now that he had tasted what it was like to have human company. Now, there was no Touji, which he still hadn't found himself capable of coming to terms with, there was no Mana, and there was no Asuka as well.

The last four days after he told her of his actions regarding Mana's fate had been more than unpleasant for him. But not for the reasons he had expected: he had woken up the next day to find his roommate giving him the cold shoulder, or rather, simply and utterly indifferent to his existence. Asuka had made her own breakfast, made her own lunch, and left for school without a word to spare for him. She only talked whenever strictly necessary, and only in short sentences. She didn't answer and didn't seem to listen anytime he talked. She didn't even walk with him whenever they had to go to the same place; instead she chose to pick up the pace and leave him behind.

He was surprised at how much had that hurt. A part of him had always desired she left him alone, no longer bothering him with her loud presence, bossy attitude and sometimes abusive behaviour. Yet now he found himself missing those things and what they symbolized. Instead of treating him worse than ever, acting like the horrible person many believed her to be, Asuka had forsaken him and his existence almost on every level. Shinji was aware he had given her quite a shock with his actions and hadn't expected her to agree with them, but even so her reaction had been surprisingly cold.

And now, what was he doing? He kept asking himself that, repeating the words over and over in his mind, and yet his body kept acting out of its own will. He left Misato's apartment, moving through the corridor, passing next to the door to Snake and Otacon's apartment, to finish his trip right in front of Rei Ayanami's apartment. Now that he was here, he wished the trip had been longer. Getting to your destination meant you had to act, since you couldn't shelter yourself in the act of travelling anymore... and he really didn't want to act right now.

Hesitation and doubts filled him as he simply stood in front of her new door. He couldn't help but recall his last... mishap when he got to her apartment. Yes, a soft, round and squeezable mishap. Shinji quickly reigned over his thoughts, unwilling to let them wander that way; that wouldn't help him at all now.

At least, the doorbell worked here. It was a simple yet noticeable improvement in Shinji's eyes.

The door opened and Rei appeared behind of it "Yes?" she asked, rubbing her eyes, clearly sleepy. Even though Shinji found her very cute at the time, he still felt badly for waking her up like this, even though it was two in the afternoon. Rei was wearing her school shirt alone, with no bottom wear save for a pair of slippers. Shinji blushed despite himself.

"I'm sorry," he said, taken aback "Were you sleeping?"

"..." she said nothing at first, her face showing no signs of any forthcoming answer, and he felt his insides turning, feeling he had failed somehow at making even some small talk. But she answered soon thereafter "I've been working all night with Doctor Akagi for some tests," she said, unwilling to reveal more. Yes, she had been told by the Commander that she now was the test subject for a still-in-development nanomachine suppressor which Doctor Akagi was creating. Rei never disobeyed orders, no matter how unpleasant they were. And unpleasant it had been: hours upon hours of trying different mixes and methods, always causing her headaches and in the worst cases extreme physical pain. Oddly enough, Doctor Akagi had been the one to stop the experiments, with an unusually concerned face which she was quick to hide once she realized Rei was watching.

"Oh! I see," Shinji said "You should get some rest, then, Rei."

"..." Rei stood silent, trying to come up with something to say, some way to express her thanks for his concern. But she couldn't think of anything, so she went for the safest thing to ask "What did you want, Ikari?" his wince told her she had said the wrong thing.

"Umm, I just wanted to see how you were," he said after some hesitation, blushing "I didn't mean to interrupt your sleep. I-I'll be leaving now. Rest well, Ayanami."

She stared at him and he turned around when the silence grew too awkward, resigned to going back to his apartment and Asuka.

"Would you like..." she started slowly, carefully "To stay for some time?"

"Oh," he said, blushing again "Sure."

.

'Well at least this apartment is cleaner than her old one...' Shinji thought in silence, looking around. Being part of the same complex as Misato's apartment, Rei's was built the same way. Having three bedrooms, a living room, bathroom and kitchen, it was actually quite bigger than she needed; still, the girl had been placed here for security purposes, which made the excess of room inconsequent. Rei clearly didn't care either way 'But it does look so lifeless, though,' Shinji mused. It was odd seeing a copy of Misato's apartment, but without any thing, any object that gave it some character. No TV, no posters, no furniture save what was strictly necessary; just dull walls, gray floor and a window with its curtains closed 'I wonder if I should have brought her some flowers, just to make the place look a little better.'

Rei was busy in the kitchen, trying to prepare some tea. Seeing her lost look, Shinji offered to take over, which was answered with a quiet look that the boy interpreted as a positive answer since she stopped her efforts.

"Thank you," Rei said softly. She surprised herself with the words. She now found herself saying them more often. It was strange. Her thanks were duly answered, and then the two teenagers fell silent.

Shinji was feeling awkward. He knew this was going to happen, and yet he still felt completely unprepared for it. Yes, the uncomfortable silence that came when two people were together trying to look for a reason to be standing side by side, something to give their mutual company some purpose... He wanted to be here, but now he couldn't find something to say in order to justify himself.

A clock on top of the kitchen kept ticking. Shinji felt an urge to say something, anything to break that monotone sound. But he couldn't think of what.

'No, that's a lie,' he thought to himself 'I know what I want to say. I just don't know how, or if I should...'

"Dinner the other night was nice..." he went for an easy topic to breach the quiet. Rei looked at him, and he could have sworn he saw a brief nod before she returned to stare at the kettle in the stove.

This was not easy for Shinji.

"Ayanami..." he called out to her, with doubt clouding his mind; there was no easy way to breach this topic "You fought with Mana, right...? Before she found me."

"Yes," she answered simply. Now that wasn't helpful for Shinji, but she hadn't said anything to dissuade him from asking further, either. With Rei, that was good enough to go on.

Problem was, going on wasn't easy either.

"How can you do that? Fighting with another person... it's not something we do all the time."

"It's my duty," Rei answered, and she finally looked at him in the eye. Shinji caught her look, those red orbs of her, and glimpsed the unyielding determination that shone behind them for a second before looking away.

"Asuka... Asuka thinks the same, too..." Shinji mused sadly, well aware of the redhead's thoughts "But I don't..."

"You don't?" Rei asked, watching him with no sign of any emotional reaction to his words.

"No," Shinji said "I don't think it's our duty to fight with other people. We're pilots, not soldiers. I'm not here to fight with Big Boss, or anyone else. I don't want to get involved in a war."

"..." Rei said nothing. Shinji looked at her in the eye and quickly turned to watch the kitchen at his side. She kept a steady silence which he felt was prompting him to speak.

"It's just that... under these conditions," he said hesitatingly; his hands seemed to move of their own volition, filling two mugs with tea "It's very hard for me to be a member of NERV, a part of something like this."

Quietness greeted his words. The clock kept a steady beat that became unnerving in its regularity.

"Well, you should say it," Rei said at last.

"What?" he asked, raising his head to watch her.

"It would be better if you reported this," Rei went on "What you really think. You should report it to your superiors. Otherwise, you'll still be considered an asset for the war and nothing will change."

She said nothing more. Shinji looked away, lost in thought. It had been rare for Rei to talk so much, and yet, every word had been worth saying... he could see himself agreeing with her thoughts. Was she right? Yes, of course she was. She had easily seen the solution to his latest predicament.

If only following her advice were as easy as hearing it.

"What a beautiful color," Rei said, so low that it was almost a whisper. Shinji looked at her and saw that she was staring at the tea mugs "You make very good tea."

"It's bitter," Shinji said, handing Rei a mug and watching her take a sip.

"Yes," she agreed "But it's warm."

.

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.

Leaning over the sink of one of NERV's many bathrooms, Ritsuko Akagi washed her face tiredly. This day had been hellishly long for her already, with the extensive amount of testing they had done. No matter what Misato seemed to believe, Ritsuko was still human and just as prone to get tired from all the effort put into her work.

In any case, she could certainly understand the Commander's motives for ordering the complete check of the MAGI systems. He had just allied himself with the Patriots, the ultimate rulers of the Internet and every digital system on Earth. It was no wonder he felt protective of the supercomputer that ruled his fortress.

"Everything's in order," she sighed, raising her head and looking at her face in the mirror "Mom's in great shape as usual. But... I feel I'm getting too old for this."

.

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.

_Oxford University, level B1, February 1987_

_._

_Dressed in a lab coat, a skirt, nylons and heels, Naoko Akagi looked every bit the part of a professional scientist. Her figure no longer betrayed the fact that she had given birth to a daughter two years ago. And that was important, now more than ever. Naoko had no time to think of being a mother now, not when she was offered a chance at flying to Oxford to meet none other than the most brilliant AI scientist in the world, the woman who only went by the name of Doctor Strangelove. While the Cold War wasn't over yet, Naoko was being supported by SEELE, who had somehow - she didn't know how and frankly thought that was for the better - fooled the Patriots into thinking Naoko would be an asset for them. And so, the Patriots, far too powerful to care about such meaningless things as the Iron Curtain, had allowed her to travel to Oxford University in order to work with Strangelove, since they were quite interested in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Naoko Akagi was a young promise in that regard._

_Politics. SEELE was smaller than the Patriots, and always tried to stay out of their notice. The Patriots were concerned with the soon to be massive amount of information that the public would be getting, and as such they were trying to gather as many scientists to solve the problem as quickly possible. And in the middle of all that power struggle was Naoko herself, a woman who had a degree in Engineering, Biochemistry and Artificial Intelligence, and who was now about to meet one of the smartest people on Earth._

_She had come to the place where they were supposed to meet. An empty corridor in an underground level beneath Oxford University. She had passed through some heavy doors guarded by a few men, showing her credentials, and now had to wait for her soon-to-be teacher to come. Naoko sighed, mentally preparing for what was to come. She was excited, but stressed._

_The sound of footsteps told her of a newcomer. Naoko turned around, and found herself facing Strangelove._

_She was different than Naoko had imagined. Tall, lean, pale white and beautiful, Strangelove was strange indeed. The woman was in her late forties, but still looked quite young to the near thirty Naoko. Her skin was smooth, her hair pale grey, and her figure slim. Even though the day was hot, and hotter still in these corridors, Strangelove was wearing a long sleeved shirt and thick black slacks. Sunglasses covered her eyes. Naoko could call her eccentric just with one look._

_"Naoko Akagi?" Strangelove said in English, with a thick British accent. Her tone was strong, and demanding, as if she didn't have time for pleasantries._

_"Yes, ma'am," Naoko answered in English, bowing per Japanese custom "It is an honor to meet you, Dr. Strangelove."_

_"Hmm," Strangelove analyzed her for a moment "Well I don't have time for informal exchanges, nor to explain everything to you. You're here because some people want you here... but not because I do. But if you don't keep up, I'll have an excuse to boot you out of this facility, and don't doubt I will. I expect you to at least delay that for some time."_

_"I will do my best, Sempai," Naoko said in turn, already addressing Strangelove as a teacher since the woman had grudgingly accepted the position. Naoko felt both frightened and refreshed: this woman was a keen mind, someone who went straight to the point, someone with the intellectual might to see impossible tasks through. While Strangelove had been nothing if cold to her, Naoko did like to find someone who cared for pleasantries just as little as she did._

_"I heard you have a child," Strangelove prodded, leaning forward "A young girl of two. Is that true?"_

_"Yes, Sempai," Naoko answered, cutting herself before mentioning Ritsuko's name, just to avoid looking like the typical bragging mother "But my life is my work and my work is here. I'm not here to play mother."_

_"Good," the woman approved mightily, with a pleased nod of her head "In our field, there is no time for personal issues. We must detach ourselves from others if we are to perform to the best of our abilities."_

_"Yes, sempai," Naoko said, although her stomach revolted slightly at her own words. She suppressed that unwanted reaction with brutal determination. She was a scientist; it wasn't her fault that her body had been genetically designed to bear children. Besides, Ritsuko would be better off without a mother like her._

_"Very well. Now, come along," Strangelove said, leading the way. She came up to a heavy looking door made from what it seemed to be reinforced alloy. Naoko knew her teacher led very important research on what could be called 'sensitive' subjects, but she still felt surprise at how militarized the place seemed "Care for a snuff?" Strangelove asked, holding out her right hand with the inner side up "Tobacco I mean. I know you like to smoke, but you won't get to do that inside," Naoko didn't dare asking how the woman knew about her smoking habits. She simply shook her head "Suit yourself," the older woman said, taking a sniff herself._

_Strangelove slid a card through a slot right next to the door, and said door opened swiftly. Both women made their way inside, Naoko finding herself surprised at how high the temperature was in the room. But soon, that was forgotten. She was in paradise. Strangelove's research was literally in front of her eyes, open for her to investigate, to analyze, to learn from._

_"Artificial Intelligence," Strangelove announced steadily, with her powerful English accent giving the words a sense of fateful importance "This is the latest version of it. The Mammal Pod, BS Imago Mk2."_

_"Does it use the same two-core system the first version did?" Naoko blurted out, unable to hold her tongue; she had so many questions! "BS Imago and AL-Aurelia 8000, Reptile Pod?"_

_"No," Strangelove answered, actually smiling at her new student. She did like hanging out with people with some intellectual capacity "I've been trying a new concept. It's a revolutionary, three-core brain system which could manage tasks on a level far greater than any human. It's still on early development, but through this system, a person's personality could be printed into the AI," Strangelove looked away for a moment, recalling Peace Walker. She had succeeded once on that task... "When I finish it, I'll call it, MAGI System."_

_Naoko pinched herself to see if she was dreaming. She wasn't._

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The Geo Front, October 2015

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"What! We have to be naked for this test!"

Asuka's voice was unmistakable, but ultimately unnecessary to identify her as the speaker. Her tone alone and not-so-low German curses were more than enough for everyone at the Pribnow box to be aware of her displeasure.

"That's a sterile room," Ritsuko answered through a microphone, pinching her nose with her fingers "Bathing and staying in your underwear isn't enough."

"Why do I have to do it?" the girl argued back "All because of that Automatic Pilot test?"

"Time doesn't stop," Ritsuko answered "The EVA's technology is in constant development. We always need new data."

"And here I thought my missions were difficult," Snake said once the chat between the Doctor and the Pilot was cut "You have my sympathies, Doctor Akagi."

"I swear those kids will be the death of me," the woman answered, rubbing her temples "I don't know how do you put up with them, Misato."

"They're not that bad," Misato shrugged "Shinji is really nice and Asuka isn't bad company once you get know her..." even though lately the girl was a bit more quiet than usual and she seemed to be giving Shinji the cold shoulder. Misato wasn't sure what was it that Shinji had done that had provoked the redhead's wrath; still, she had caught Asuka staring at him a couple of times, with a look Misato couldn't quite place. It seemed anger at times, which wasn't surprising in Asuka; but sometimes, Misato thought she had seemed the girl look at Shinji with something close to... admiration. But that was such a far fetched thought that Misato herself didn't believe it.

The three adults, along with Otacon, Maya Ibuki and Mei Ling, were now in the Pribnow Box overseeing the pilot's latest test. Snake had no input in technical things, but Misato had wanted him to come anyways. They had a plan to carry out, and he was the most important piece. Roy Campbell was already in position, in his office a few floors above them.

.

Snake was lost in the world of electronics. True, he could handle a computer and his training had included some basic ways to hack a system, but he was way out of his league in here. As far as he could understand, going by the faces of the people around him, the test seemed to be going well enough, except for some anomaly detected by the MAGI. Still, it wasn't important enough to call off the test, certainly not enough to worry too much about...

The alarms started to blaze at once, resonating loudly in the Pribnow Box.

"What's happening?" Ritsuko was the fastest to react. This was her domain, and no one entered without permission.

"Contamination on Sigma Unit, located on Wall A," Maya reported swiftly, checking her terminal.

"Protein wall 87 is eroding and releasing heat," Mei Ling added "There's an anomaly on pipe 6!"

"The protein wall is eroding at tremendous speed!" Maya reported urgently.

"Misato, what's going on?" Snake asked to the stiff Major, while the technicians kept giving their reports and the room seemed immersed a frenzy with Doctor Akagi at the center of it.

"I don't know, Snake," Misato answered "This never happened before. But..." she lowered her voice considerably, taking advantage of the noise the technicians and the alarms were making "I think this may be perfect for us."

Snake looked at her. He had to admit the benefits this could bring... Misato's strategist persona had come afloat, seeing a chance to be taken. It was truthfully a good opportunity to do what they had decided to do, days earlier, in Philanthropy's apartment. It was a good opportunity to find out NERV's secrets.

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**Author Notes 2:**

I beg for those of you with an understanding of Russian not to crucify me. The whole 'Nulevoi' name was researched through Google translator and some dictionaries I could find. I looked for the best Roman alphabet translations of Russian I could find, and Nulevoi was the one word that appeared most, although the last 'i' wasn't quite the same. To my dismay, later on I checked again, and I found many other ways of writing 'zero' in Russian. But by then I had already mentioned the character several chapters earlier, so I couldn't change her name anymore. So, my deep apologies for the inaccuracy.

That aside, I'm actually pleased at how the chapter turned out. It did its job at solving some questions, and writing flashback scenes is very fun. The idea of Naoko Akagi working with Strangelove came immediately when I first saw a playthrough of Metal Gear Peace Walker. Really, it's as if Kojima watched Evangelion just before making the game. The connections are very easy to make.

I'm not done with the flashbacks, though. Next chapter will get the battle against the Angel, Snake on a mission in NERV, and the rest of Naoko's story explained. It's already outlined, and in progress by now. Let's just hope college doesn't overwhelm me with work, as it did during the past month.

So, dear readers, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it. Please leave reviews and good luck to you all.

Devil Boss


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